Violent Crimes Keep Missoula Courts Busy, Missoula Bike Theft Ring Discovered
The Missoula County Attorney’s Office handled over twenty felony cases again this past week, but the real disturbing thing was that nearly half of all the cases involved violent crime.
"A huge majority of these cases this week were partner family member assault and family violence cases," Pabst said. "There was a partner family member assault third offense, assault with a weapon and an aggravated assault in which the defendant severely beat and strangled his girlfriend. There was a woman who assaulted her son and another woman. There was a non family violent case in which we charged simple assault. The allegation there was a jail fight in the women's pod of our detention facility."
Pabst says the suspect that started the fight at the jail has caused similar problems before. Authorities also discovered a theft ring in town.
"Three defendants were charged with what we are calling a stolen bike ring in which there were at least 50 high end bikes allegedly stolen, broken down, reassembled with their identities somewhat obscured and then sold or in the process," Pabst said.
In good news, there was only one meth case. Pabst says law enforcement was also able to find a clandestine hashish lab in the city.