Suspects ID'd in ag vandalism case causing hundreds of thousands in damages

Blaine County Sheriff John Colby said that suspects have been identified but no arrests have been made in the string of vandalism incidents in Blaine and Chouteau counties that caused hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage and is likely linked to the shooting of one or more deer, all occurring late Aug. 17 or early Aug. 18.

Colby said Tuesday they are making “quite a bit of headway,” but he was unable to give specific details at this point in the investigation.

A press release from Colby this morning said evidence has been recovered, suspects have been identified and the case investigation is ongoing.

Blaine County Sheriff’s Office responded to a vandalism call in south Blaine County Aug. 18, the release said. During the investigation, it became apparent that the Blaine County vandalism case was attached to another vandalism case in Chouteau County, and a poaching case being investigated by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Chouteau County Sheriff’s Office, Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Blaine County, The Tri-Agency Task Force, Hill County, and Havre Police Department, have been working together in the investigation, the release said

“It’s kind of nice to see all the different agencies working together,” Colby said in an interview Tuesday.

The Gasvoda family in Chouteau County were the victims with by far the most damages rendered to several pieces of farming equipment and supplies that were sitting on their farmland in Blaine County. They are offering about $20,000 in rewards for tips on the case after many people in the ag community, upset over the vandalism, added donations to the Gasvoda’s original reward of $2,500.

Colby added in an interview this morning that the state Environmental Protection Agency has also been notified.

EPA would investigate any environmental damage because the vandals broke open and spilled onto the ground chemicals from several plastic shuttles holding up to about 300 gallons each of ag chemicals. The state EPA office had not returned a call requesting more information by print deadline this morning.

Colby said Tuesday that law enforcement has received a few pieces of information about the case to help them, but they welcome more.

“Everything called in gives us something to look at,” he said. “It might not be anything, but might be something helpful, too.”

People who think they might have information on this case can call Blaine County Sheriff’s Office at 406-357-3260 or Chouteau County Sheriff’s Office at 406-622-5451.