BILLINGS — According to Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder, at least one family was assaulted when leaving the MontanaFair on Tuesday night in the upper parking lot at MetraPark.
The incident is the latest crime reported at the MontanaFair in recent years, with the most memorable being the shooting on the Midwayin August 2022.
No arrests have been made in Tuesday's incident and Linder declined to provide more details, saying the investigation is ongoing.
On Wednesday, fair visitors Cathy Haslam and Rachel Park were certainly distracted by Tuesday night's crime.
"Just in general, you know, the safety in the city is a lot more on my mind than it used to be," Haslam said Wednesday afternoon. "And it's the same coming to the fair. You can't let your guard down as much as you used to be able to."
The crime is a problem that Linder and his team have been working to solve for years.
In a statement to MTN on Wednesday, Linder said: "For as long as I can recall, we have had disturbances or fights at the fair. In most cases, they have involved juveniles... Deputies have always provided the security at the fair, but after the shooting incident at the fair a few years ago we dramatically enhanced our security protocols."
So far this year, Linder said they've removed 10 people from fairgrounds, eight juveniles and two adults.
Nevertheless, Haslam and Park are worried.
"We actually talked about that before we came because I told her I had seen what happened last night," Haslam said. "And she said, 'Now I'm second guessing even wanting to go.'"
They said they are grateful for the progress that has been made in terms of the annual event's security.
"It's nice to know there's somebody out here more than usual," Haslam said.
Linder acknowledges that there will always be safety risks in his statement, saying, "We do a good job of trying to be visible and proactive with patrolling the grounds, but when you have thousands of people on the grounds, we cannot always be at the right place at the right time."
Those uncertainties make an impact on fairgoers every year.
"You never know what will happen, especially with a big crowd," Park said. "I think that's why we did come during the day, because at night it's even harder."
