Missoula Crime Report: Mental Health Needs Take Center Stage

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - The Missoula County Attorney’s Office filed 16 new felony complaints this week, which is nine fewer than last week and right around the weekly average. According to County Attorney Matt Jennings, there were four violent crimes, one endangerment crime, seven property crimes, and four drug crimes. 

“Four of the felonies that we charged this week were all directly related to people in a mental health crisis,” Jennings said. “I am a broken record on this, but we have a broken mental health system in the state of Montana. We often know the risk factors that lead people to engage in dangerous criminal behavior. They end up in handcuffs when they really should end up in a hospital. That's what we like to see, but we don't have those facilities in Missoula, or the state, that can handle these people.” 

Jennings said it is heartbreaking to see the same people getting in trouble again and again because he believes we know how to prevent these crimes. He said we just aren't putting the resources into doing it and giving people the support they need. 

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“We need more psychiatric beds in Missoula,” Jennings said. “Some of those need to be secure facilities. They need to be forensically capable, meaning that they can handle violent people and sometimes people coming down off drugs. They need to be equipped for long-term stays. When people get out, there needs to be a real transition plan back in the communities where they're hooked up with caseworkers, psychiatric care, housing, and some of the other risk factors being mitigated.” 

Jennings said those resources do come at a cost, and that has been their biggest obstacle. 

“We spend a fortune on the criminal side of this and dealing with things after they happen,” Jennings said. “It is far cheaper to deal with it in a preventative manner, but we haven't been able to coalesce around that idea yet in the state of Montana. I am hopeful that some of the discussions and funding from the legislature can make a difference over time, but they're going to take quite a bit of work.” 

Jennings also highlighted a trial that wrapped up this week. 

“Yanbin Bao was convicted of four counts of sex trafficking and one count of labor trafficking,” Jennings said. “Essentially, there was an illicit massage parlor that was being run on US Hwy. 93 S. There were women being brought in from other countries and across the nation to basically perform these sex services. They were being coerced. They were being held under pressure and duress. They were being denied some basic essentials of living.” 

READ MORE: Couple Charged With Human Trafficking in Missoula

Jennings said he couldn’t be more proud of his team of prosecutors that led this to a guilty verdict, and he really appreciates the jurors for stepping up and performing their community service. 

READ MORE: Inside The Trial Of Yanbin Bao: A Missoula Sex Trafficking Case

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: