BILLINGS — Women are coming forward with frightening accounts of being followed and harassed while driving on some of Montana's most remote highways, including Highway 191 past Grass Range a couple weeks ago.
Penny Ronning of Billings experienced it firsthand back in 2022. While driving on a back road, she spotted a white pickup truck in her rear-view mirror.
"A white pickup truck, much like what's been described in the other stories, began following me," Ronning said Thursday.
To test whether she was being followed, she pulled over.
"When I pulled over at one point on the gravel road and slowed down, they pulled over and slowed down and adjusted their speed to mine," Ronning said.
"I had never felt fear before, and that was the first time that I had," Ronning said.
Despite the terror, she remained aware of her surroundings.
"It was scary. I was both in awe of this spectacular and extraordinary landscape, but also understanding that the situation could turn dangerous at any minute," Ronning said.
Ronning is an advocate for human trafficking awareness, but she says what happened to her does not fit neatly into one category of crime.
"This could be any crime. It could be any crime that could be homicide. It could be a robbery. It could be a rape. It could be road rage. It could be someone that's just out there trying to protect their property. It could be any number of situations," Ronning said.
So what should you do if you're followed or harassed on the highway? Montana Highway Patrol Capt. Josef Kinsey says the best thing you can do is stay calm, keep your windows up and your doors locked.
"Don't ever pull over for it. Don't engage the suspect. Don't make the situation worse by engaging a suspect or trying to confront them at all," Kinsey said.
He also urges drivers to call law enforcement as soon as possible.
"The more information, location, stuff like that you can give, the better for law enforcement to find you," Kinsey said.
With limited cell service on many of Montana's rural roads, Kinsey says finding a safe location first is the priority.
"The biggest thing is, just find a safe spot to pull into. Like I said, either a ranch house, farmhouse, anything like that. If you know where a fire department is, a police station, a business, just take a second, calm down a little bit, and then call it in as soon as you can to law enforcement," Kinsey said.
Krista Manley owns one of those safe havens — The Ole' Mercantile in Grass Range.
"There's always going to be safety in these communities. And these small towns especially, there'll be somebody in the store," Manley said.
She says the dangers on rural highways do happen.
"Every single person who has driven this road has experienced either road rage or a point in time where they don't feel comfortable on this highway," Manley said.
Her advice to anyone who finds themselves in a frightening situation on the road is simple.
"I think the biggest thing is trust yourself," Manley said.
