Missoula Crime Report: Man Is Finally Charged For Alleged Rape In 2017

The Missoula County Attorney’s Office received a little relief this past week in terms of new incoming cases. Chief Deputy County Attorney Jason Marks says he was thankful that things finally slowed down a bit.

“We charged 13 new cases overall,” Marks said. “Only eight of those were people in custody following an arrest. Out of those eight, six were methamphetamine related. The other cases were cases we were able to get caught up on. There were some cases that were referred over after investigation where people were not in custody. We charged those and sent out either a summons or a warrant.”

A 24-year-old man is in the Missoula County Jail for allegedly raping an acquaintance in November of 2017. Marks explains why it took so long to place Brett Beierle in custody.

“The investigation took a little bit of time,” Marks said. “Then we were waiting for DNA results. Unfortunately, just due to sheer volume, the DNA section at the crime lab is pretty backed up. There was a warrant issued for his arrest once everything was complete and we were able to file charges.”

Deputy County Attorney Mehgann Paddock said Beierle is also alleged to have messaged the victim afterwards saying sometimes he can’t take no for an answer.