MELVILLE — Residents of Melville, with a population of around 100, have expressed shock at the allegations that three Montana National Guard airmen are involved in an unusual case of alleged theft and trespassing earlier this month.
Three Montana Army National Guard members face criminal trespassing charges from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks after a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that they were flying in allegedly landed on private property in the Crazy Mountain foothills of Sweet Grass County, reports the Big Timber Pioneer.
Watch the story here:
Local business owner Bonita Cremer, who runs the town's only eatery, Café 191, noted that the community values its private property and the incident feels like a significant breach of trust.
“There was two things that immediately came to mind,” Cremer said on Thursday. “First was, that’s a real misuse of a taxpayer asset and taxpayer dollars. And secondly, what a bold and aggressive trespass on private property.”
The landowner, Linda McMullen, was not present during the incident but learned about it through a neighbor’s phone call. She told MTN News it felt violating to learn what happened on her property.
"This is just one time that they got caught," McMullen said Wednesday on a phone call with MTN.
Cremer said it is unsettling to think about it happening.
“When you hear about an incident like this, it does make you think, 'Well, what else is going on up there?' Montana is a big state,” she said. "Everybody is just kind of the same. The same initial reaction was just kind of shocked and surprised that that a military asset would be used to land on private property and then pick up elk sheds."
The stolen antlers hold substantial value. Jackie and Mark Steigleman, owners of Antlers Unlimited and Buck Bone Organics in Bozeman, acknowledged that while the antlers can be valuable, they suspect the airmen’s actions may have been more a misguided error in judgment than driven by monetary gain.
"We support our military and our police and our firefighters and our paramedics. So I mean, was it a misjudgment? Probably. Definitely. You know, they probably felt like there was no harm, no foul," Mark said. "I don't think it was merited based on value."
Jackie agreed.
"It's like finding that pot of gold under the rainbow type of thing," she said.
The investigation is ongoing as the Sweet Grass County Sheriff’s Office continues to delve into the details of this case, with the three defendants possibly facing charges of theft, as well.
“They (antlers) can be very valuable, but that doesn't mean that just because you see them, they're yours to pick up,” Cremer said. "I understand and I appreciate military service. Our son was in the Navy for five years. I understand the need for training and to be proficient when you're flying an aircraft that costs millions of dollars of taxpayer money. I understand that. But to go the route that it appears that this crew did is pretty arrogant."
Related: 3 Montana National Guardsmen charged in elk antler trespassing case via helicopter
