Multiple Medical Facilities in Montana Victim of Swatting Incident

For those that are unfamiliar with the term "swatting" when referenced by law enforcement or emergency services, it has absolutely nothing to do with the art of getting rid of a fly.

via GIPHY

Instead, it is the dangerous (and criminal harassment) act of deceiving or hoaxing emergency services or law enforcement to believing a criminal incident is happening at a specific address.  Those hoaxes could be bombing threats, active shooter, or hostage situation.  The latter being exactly what happened at several locations recently in Montana.

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Medical Facilities in Lewistown, Montana Victim of Swatting Incident

In a press release through the Fergus County Sheriff's Office, a report came in on March 12, 2026, to their office and that of the Lewistown Police Department from the Central Montana Medical Center.  The CMMC indicated that a suspicious caller was on the phone claiming to "have assaulted a child and was holding his wife and other children hostage".

READ MORE:  ATF Now Involved in Burglary Case in Bozeman

During the call, the person indicated they were under the effects of methamphetamine and were threating to shoot the persons in the residence.  The person eventually gave a name and the address of a residence in the Bozeman, Montana city area.  FCSO and LPD contacted the Gallatin County law enforcement agencies to initiate a welfare check at the address.

Multiple Medical Facilities in Montana Victim of Swatting Incident

As CMMC continued with the caller for nearly an hour, Bozeman law enforcement operated under the assumption of an "active threat to life" and arrived at the address the caller gave to the operator.

Upon arrival, officers found a vacant home for sale, with no occupants or active threat.  The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office reported that "multiple medical facilities throughout the region" also received similar calls.  The incident has been classified as a "swatting" incident and there isn't a threat to the public or medical facilities.