SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake antler thefts made headlines as the Five Valleys Crimestoppers Crime of the Week last week. Not only is Crimestoppers offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest and/or conviction of those involved in the thefts, the Seeley Lake Community Foundation (SLCF) is offering an additional monetary reward to help in the investigation.
Missoula County Sheriff’s Office detectives have been investigating an ongoing string of thefts in the Seeley Lake area of deer, elk and moose antlers. Since early August, five reports have been taken by law enforcement with approximately 50 sets of antlers reportedly missing.
Missoula County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Brenda Bassett said that Aug. 2 on the 300 block of Cutthroat Drive three white-tailed deer mounts, seven mule deer antler sets and one elk set were reported stolen. The suspect(s) returned to the residence in late September or early October and removed eight more sun-bleached white-tailed antler sets off of the shed wall.
Sometime between Sept. 8 –Nov. 5, on 3700 Highway 83 N, 6-12 elk antler sets were removed from a nearby trailer.
The fourth and fifth incidents were reported on the 300 block of Hauser Drive at two separate residents. The first residence was hit in October. It had 6-10 moose antler sheds, one small moose antler set on skull, four elk antler sets and 10 shed antlers stolen. The antlers were taken from a storage building near the owner’s residence where the antlers were stored in a net in the rafters. According to the report, the suspect(s) stood on a large welding machine to reach for the antlers.
The suspect(s) hit the second residence in late November. Taken were four elk and eight deer single shed antlers that were stored under the front deck.
“The SLCF board is committed to offering a substantial monetary award in addition to Crimestoppers,” said SLCF Executive Director Anne Beach. “Through community awareness, we feel we can protect our quality of life in Seeley Lake. This kind of stuff shouldn’t be happening here.”
Missoula County Sheriff’s Sergeant Robert Parcell recommends, “Pay attention to where you store your antlers and move them to a safer location.”
Sgt. Parcell encourages anyone who sees someone with a bunch of antlers or hears of someone trying to sell antlers to call the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, 406-258-4810. Callers can ask to speak directly to Sgt. Parcell or Deputy Heath Hanson. Or call Five Valleys Crimestoppers 24 hour tip line at 406-721-4444 or 406-363-0062. Callers to Crimestoppers can remain anonymous and still collect their $1,000 reward if the information leads to the arrest or conviction. However, the SLCF would require the individual to identify themselves to be eligible for the additional compensation they are offering.
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