Department of Justice Press Releases

  • Published On: May 25, 2023

    HELENA – A Deer Lodge man was found guilty today for sexually assaulting a minor in Powell County District Court, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced. The jury unanimously convicted Charles Michael Byrne, 51, of three counts of sexual intercourse [...]

  • Published On: May 23, 2023

    HELENA – For the third consecutive year, the Montana Department of Justice’s Forensic Science Division (FSD) is among the few forensic laboratories worldwide to earn the prestigious FORESIGHT Maximus Award from the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD). FSD, most [...]

  • Published On: May 9, 2023

    HELENA – On Fentanyl Awareness Day, Attorney General Austin Knudsen issued the following statement warning Montanans of the dangerous drug: “Fentanyl is a poison that is killing men, women, and children at unprecedented rates and leaving behind countless heartbroken families. [...]

  • Published On: May 1, 2023

    BOULDER, Mont. – Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) troopers made a major drug bust in Yellowstone County, seizing approximately 25 pounds of methamphetamine, Colonel Steve Lavin announced today. “The crisis at the southern border continues to impact Montana. More and more [...]

  • Published On: April 13, 2023

    HELENA  – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Rocky Mountain Field Division, hosted a Family Summit Wednesday in support of those who have lost loved ones to the drug poisoning and overdose epidemic. A dozen [...]

  • Published On: February 24, 2023

    HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today a nearly 10,000 percent increase in fentanyl seizures by anti-drug task forces in Montana since 2019. Additionally, triple the amount of fentanyl was seized in 2022 compared to 2021, obliterating previous [...]

  • Published On: February 9, 2023

    HELENA – Montana Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) agents made two arrests following a fire in Fallon last month, Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today. Sterling Brown, arrested Wednesday in Camp Crook, South Dakota, was charged [...]

  • Published On: February 8, 2023

    HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and a coalition of 21 state attorneys general today called on President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to designate Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) under federal law. The [...]

  • Published On: November 17, 2022

    HELENA – Despite record-breaking amounts of illicit fentanyl being taken off Montana streets, the drug continues to take a toll on individuals, families, and communities in the state. Attorney General Austin Knudsen is building on his fight against fentanyl as [...]

  • Published On: October 27, 2022

    HELENA – A Billings man was sentenced today to life in prison for kidnapping minors, transporting a person for illegal sexual activity, and drug trafficking and firearms crimes following an investigation by the Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal [...]

Filter Press Releases

Filters

News Information:
Montana Department of Justice news releases are available online, with links to other documents, such as formal opinions and court decisions, when appropriate.

For more information, or to schedule interviews with Attorney General Austin Knudsen or DOJ staff members, reporters should contact one of the department’s communications officers at (406) 444-1776.

Available information may be limited by the Montana Criminal Justice Information Act of 1979 or by the status of an ongoing criminal investigation.

Direct media inquiries to:
Emilee Cantrell or
Chase Scheuer or
by phone: 406-444-1776.