Woman on Probation Removes Ankle Monitor and Steals a Car
On September 16, 2022, a Missoula County Sheriff's Office deputy responded to a residence on Highway 93 after speaking with a probation officer. The probation officer was recently alerted that 29-year-old Jennifer Cassidy, a current parolee, had tampered with her GPS ankle monitor. The probation officer attempted to contact Cassidy multiple times but was not able to reach her. The probation officer asked the deputy to go to Cassidy’s residence to look for her.
When the deputy arrived at the residence, he spoke with an adult male. The male explained that Cassidy was staying in a camper behind his residence with her boyfriend. He told the deputy that he had contact information for Cassidy’s boyfriend inside his vehicle. He then led the deputy to the front of his residence and discovered that his 2008 Dodge Durango was missing from the driveway. The male wished to report the vehicle as stolen.
The deputy also located a black ankle monitor lying in the driveway where the Durango should have been parked. The deputy collected the ankle monitor and requested an “attempt to locate” for Cassidy and the Durango.
On September 19, 2022, at approximately 7:42 a.m., 911 Dispatch received a call from another probation officer who reported that Cassidy was currently enroute to the Probation and Parole office and would likely be driving the stolen Durango. The probation officer requested that Missoula Police Department officers respond to that location. Police Public Information Officer Lydia Arnold picks up the story.
“Officer assisted probation and parole after they requested help from the Missoula Police Department regarding Jennifer Cassidy,” Arnold said. “Cassidy had cut her GPS monitor and was in a stolen vehicle. Officers were able to locate the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. Cassidy was in the driver’s seat and was taken into custody without further incident.”
An officer took Cassidy to the Missoula County Detention Facility. The officer advised Cassidy of her rights under Miranda and asked her about the stolen Durango. Cassidy denied stealing it and said she was given permission to drive it.
Cassidy is currently being charged with one count of felony theft and a probation violation.
The information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.