Missoula Crime Report: Importance of Safe Parenting Choices

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - The Missoula County Attorney’s Office filed 10 new felony complaints this week, which is seven fewer than last week and significantly less than the weekly average. According to County Attorney Matt Jennings, three cases this week involved family violence. 

“A couple of them this week were assaults on a minor,” Jennings said. “These are often parenting issues where folks start getting in an argument with their kids, or they get upset, and they do something impulsive and kind of dangerous. If people need help, if they're having a hard time with parenting issues or controlling their own behavior, it's far better to try and do something before these situations arise because these kids end up in danger and we will prosecute them if somebody crosses that line.” 

Jennings provided some advice for parents who are involved in those tense situations. 

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“Ultimately, the first thing people should do is take a break, step away, and call someone to step in and give you a breather for a little while,” Jennings said. “Go take a walk, don't introduce alcohol or drugs into the situation, and ask for teachers or neighbors or anybody else who can step in and lend a hand when you're having those difficult moments. Parenting is hard. I really do understand that, but it's not acceptable if people are having challenges in their living situations and then end up putting their kids in danger or truly hurting them. These aren't just yelling matches. We're talking about kids getting hurt.” 

In addition, Jennings said there were two endangerment crimes this week, and both involved drunk driving. 

“One of those also involved a bunch of kids in the car, and that's disappointing,” Jennings said. “Then we had four drug crimes. This was a pretty quiet week. We love to see that. I usually give you a combination of in-custody charges, so people who are in an emergency situation get arrested by law enforcement, and then we also charge cases out of custody. Those are often financial crimes or things that took a little bit more investigation. This week, we were slightly empty in the office as well, so that contributes to low numbers.” 

READ MORE: Missoula News - Crime Reports

The Missoula County Attorney’s Office provides a weekly crime report every Friday morning at 9:00 on Talk Back. You can listen to Jennings’ full report below: