I Recognized a Listed “Wanted” Person in Billings, Here’s My Story
How often do you check the sex offender registry in Billings?
My spouse and I check it every few months or so. We just like to stay in the know of who’s living in our neighborhood and being aware is a good thing in my book.
I happened to check the registry today to see if there are any newly added registered offenders in my neighborhood. Look at this photo, there's this many sexual/ violent offenders registered in Billings within the 5 mile radius of my home. 😥
Credit: Billings, MT Sexual or Violent Registry
However, I did see a face I thought I recognized on the page, which asked to help locate this person.
Last autumn of 2022 I moved my life to Billings. I just started this sweet new gig on The Morning Mix 97.1. It was Halloween time, my favorite time of year and I remember people that day seemed to have strange energy in downtown Billings.
Halloween can do that to some people.
I loved to frequent one particular bar, but I will not name the business out of privacy reasons. On Halloween, in this Billings bar, I met a person who I thought was sweet and we had some small talk over drinks. I left, and never saw them again.
Credit: Canva
Fast forward to the present day in Billings, MT
I checked the sexual/ violent offenders list recently in February 2023… just out of curiosity and awareness as I do. I started scrolling and low and behold, I recognized someone on the list. There, this person I had met was listed along with many others who are wanted for not having registered in their county for sexual or violent crimes.
I was shocked. My heart sank into my stomach. It’s a terrible feeling to have, but I knew I had to call the tip line and let them know who I think I met. I don’t know the nature of this person's crimes, but they were listed as a “violent offender.”
I called the tip line to tell them about my past encounter and explain how I recognized one of those who were listed. They took down the details and said another agent will be calling me if they need any more information from me and that was it.
Credit: Canva
I guess the point of this story is to remind you, the reader, to stay aware.
I’m a very loving, kind, and sometimes too trusting person. I try not to judge people.
But after what’s happened to me here in Billings, and seeing this specific person on this violent offenders registry - I don’t trust a soul, only my intuition.
I had asked this person to be my friend when I first met them because I was looking for down-to-earth people to chill with. But nope - I’ll stay in my happy little house with my dogs and spouse, for the most part.
Stay Aware Billings! Don’t become a statistic.
Cold Cases in Yellowstone County You Can Help Solve
The Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Unit is dedicated to finding any information that can bring killers to justice for cold cases dating back to 1973. Here are the open cold cases in Yellowstone County as of the beginning of 2022. Each photo links to a YouTube video with more details regarding the case.