HELENA - The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), in conjunction with the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office, are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for firebombing sheriff’s office vehicles and property at the City of Helena Law and Justice Center.
The incident occurred on Sunday, April 2, 2023, around 1:50 a.m. In security camera footage, an individual standing behind a vehicle can be seen throwing a flaming object at a sheriff's vehicle. Graffiti was also found near where the object landed, and vehicles were physically damaged.
The ATF and LCCSO say the item thrown was a “Molotov cocktail” which caused thousands of dollars in damage.
(April 3 interview with Sheriff Leo Dutton)
“I don’t think that people in Montana, in Lewis and Clark County, have a stomach for firebombing the Sheriff’s Office,” Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton told MTN on April 3. “I know we wear bullet-resistant vests, I know we take safety precautions, but this ups the violence. This is a participatory event that will lead to much greater violence if we don’t get this cornered.”
Anyone with information about this firebombing should contact ATF at (888) ATF-TIPS (1-888-283-8477) or the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office at (406) 447-8235. Information can also be sent to ATFTips@atf.gov or through ATF’s website at www.atf.gov/contact/atftips. Tips can be submitted anonymously using the Reportit® app, available from both Google Play and the Apple App store, or by visitingwww.reportit.com.
