As of August 3, 2026, Phillips Co is under STAGE ONE FIRE RESTRICTIONS, per the County Commissioners. This means campfires are restricted to designated recreation sites only. Smoking is prohibited outside of vehicles, buildings and developed recreation sites, unless you are in a 3-foot diameter area cleared of all burnable vegetation and materials.
August 27, 2026
2:34pm Deputy performed security checks in the Saco and Hwy 2 east areas.
4:30pm Blaine Co SO requested a welfare check on a missing female who may be at a Dodson residence; Undersheriff responded; no one was at the residence.
4:33pm Male reported a female, traveling on Hwy 191 south, had been “ripped out of her vehicle” after said vehicle tried to run her off of Hwy 191 S; Deputies and local EMT Crew responded; patient transported to the PC Hospital; information passed onto Ft Belknap LE and Fergus Co SO also; case file started.
5:44pm Female reported a delivery vehicle had been backed into at a Malta business; Deputy responded; white form issued.
7:04pm Deputies performed security checks in the Zortman, Landusky, Route 66 and Hwy 191 south areas.
8:29pm Male reported a dirt bike racing around residential areas in Malta; Deputy responded; vehicle not located.
A reminder:
Off-road motorcycles are for off-road use ONLY. The motorcycle must be registered, licensed, and the driver must possess a valid driver's license with a motorcycle endorsement before it can be driven on the streets. There have been numerous complaints to the Sheriff's Office for "dirt bikes" being driven on city and county roads. Citations will be issued. If riders are under the age of 18, helmets are required.
August 28, 2026
10:02am Female filed a traffic complaint on Central Ave; Deputy handled.
10:21am Deputy performed security checks in the Nelson Reservoir, Sleeping Buffalo and Hwy 2 east areas.
10:40am Deputy performed a welfare check on a vehicle parked alongside of Hwy 2, east of Malta; all found to be okay, just waiting for help to arrive.
11:24am Deputy performed security checks in the Malta area.
1:50pm Deputy released one adult female, Shartelle Schaeffer, from PCSO Jail on time served.
2:27pm Male reported his name and property information being used in a scam situation; Deputy handled.
2:34pm Deputy performed security checks in the Dodson and Hwy 2 west areas.
5:46pm Deputy reported a disabled vehicle on Central Ave and checked on the driver; all found to be okay.
8:31pm Male reported a dirt bike driving erratically on residential streets; Deputy responded; vehicle not located.
August 29, 2026
7:02am Deputy performed security checks in the Malta area.
9:30am Male reported clothing left on the M Trail; Deputy responded; appeared to be swimming clothes and no signs of struggle in the area.
9:59am Deputy performed security checks in the Dodson and Hwy 2 west areas.
1:43pm Deputy performed security checks at Malta High School.
2:47pm Deputy performed security checks in the Nelson Reservoir, Sleeping Buffalo, Saco and Hwy 2 east areas.
7:59pm Deputy performed security checks in the Malta area.
8:31pm Deputy performed security checks in the Wagner and Hwy 363 areas.
9:03pm Female reported a possible issued with her electricity; caller advised to contact NorthWestern Energy.
10:07pm Deputy performed security checks in the Zortman, Landusky and Hwy 191 south areas.
August 30, 2026
1:28am Deputy performed security checks in the north Malta and Hwy 191 north areas.
1:30am Deputy performed security checks in the Dodson and Hwy 2 west areas.
10:20am MT Child Abuse Hotline reported a situation involving a juvenile; Deputy responded; case file started.
11:08am Sheriff performed security checks in the Dodson and Hwy 2 west areas.
5:50pm Male reported two pickups speeding down 5th St E; Deputies responded; vehicles located, drivers advised of the speed limit and next time citations would be issued.
6:37pm Male reported a reckless driver on Hwy 2, coming into Malta from the east; Deputy responded; vehicle located and driving behavior was okay.
7:20pm Deputy performed a traffic stop which led to one adult male, Robyn Doney, being transported to PCSO to be incarcerated in PCSO Jail on a local warrant; male later released on bond.
7:25pm Male requested law enforcement assistance with a female who keeps trespassing on his residential property to feed animals in the area; Deputy responded; female advised to stay away from the property.
9:00pm Deputy incarcerated one adult male, Thomas Erickson, into PCSO Jail to serve time on sentencing.
August 31, 2026
12:11am Deputy performed security checks in the Malta and Short Oil areas.
12:44am Deputy performed security checks in the Hwy 363 and Wagner areas.
3:09am Deputies reported a juvenile running around the downtown areas; juvenile not located.
10:28am Undersheriff performed security checks in the Malta area.
1:26pm Female reported both Dodson railroad crossings were blocked for an extended amount of time; information passed onto BNSF Police.
1:42pm Male requested law enforcement assistance with locating a family member having a mental break in Malta; Sheriff and Undersheriff responded; female later located by family at another residence.
3:04pm Female reported a phone scam.
If it seems suspicious DO NOT GIVE any information to the caller. Ask for a call back phone number and call them back to see if it is who they are claiming to be or simply HANG UP. Block the phone number as well.
If you don’t recognize the phone number on the caller ID, don’t answer it. If it is a person who truly needed to contact you, they will leave a message. If you don’t know the sender of the check, do not cash it.
The IRS and the Federal Justice System do not contact people via telephone. Local Court systems do not contact via text message or private messenger.
Always remember the key things regarding scams:
1. If you didn't enter, you didn't win
2. If you have to pay to receive your prize, you didn’t win.
3. If you have a lawsuit or other legal issues pending you will get notification via certified mail or served to you by an official, whether it is a law enforcement officer or a civil process server
If you feel you have been a victim of a scam, please follow the link below to the Office of Consumer Protection. https://dojmt.gov/consumer/consumer-complaints/ or call the Montana State Legislature Fraud Hotline: 1-800-222-4446.
You can also call the National Do Not Call Registry phone number, 1-888-382-1222, to have your phone number removed from solicitors. Call this number from EACH phone number you want removed, cell or landline.
For emails, there is an option at the top of your email screen to report emails and block the sender’s email. This will help with receiving less of these types of emails.
4:41pm Female reported a vehicle all over Hwy 2, eastbound, from the Milk River Bridge in Dodson; Undersheriff responded; vehicle not located.
5:36pm Male requested a welfare check on his girlfriend that was staying at a friend’s house in Malta; Deputies responded; female found to be okay; Centralized Intake advised of the situation.
6:21pm Male reported a suspicious person parked in his roadway in the Landusky area; caller just wanted it reported and the male had left the area.
7:00pm Deputy incarcerated one adult male, Tanner Thompson, into PCSO Jail to serve time on sentencing.
9:17pm Deputy performed security checks in the Malta and Short Oil Road areas.
10:55pm Deputy performed security checks in the Hwy 363 area.
11:01pm Zortman bartender requested extra patrol in the Zortman area; Deputy handled.
September 1, 2026
12:10am Deputy performed security checks in the Zortman and Hwy 191 south areas.
9:28am Male brought in a bag of garbage found on Hwy 2, east of Dodson; Undersheriff handled.
10:32am Female requested a welfare check on a client at a Malta apartment; Sheriff and Undersheriff responded; male found to be okay.
6:13pm Male reported suspicious vehicle activity around his residence in Malta; Deputy responded; vehicle not located.
6:29pm Deputy performed security checks in the Malta area.
9:01pm Deputy released one adult male, Thomas Erickson, from PCSO Jail on time served.
9:57pm Deputy performed security checks in the Short Oil Road and Hwy 363 areas.
September 2, 2026
3:37am 911 received requesting medical assistance for a female who fell at a Malta residence; local EMT responded and assisted the female.
4:08am 911 received reporting a vehicle/deer accident on Hwy 191, south of Malta; caller advised no injuries but air bags deployed; white form issued.
7:52am Deputy performed security checks in the Malta school zones.
11:10am Sheriff located a reported missing person in the Slippery Ann area; Billings PD contacted and missing person report removed from CJIN. Person was found to be okay, there of their own free will, and not missing.
1:58pm Male requested law enforcement assistance with an abandoned vehicle on his property; Deputy handled.
3:01pm Undersheriff performed security checks in the Dodson and Hwy 2 west areas.
5:25pm Female reported both Dodson railroad crossings had been blocked for an extended amount of time; information passed onto BNSF Police.
6:40pm 911s received reporting a fire east of Malta; Deputy and Malta FD responded; found to be the dry alkali from Bowdoin blowing in the wind of the storm.
7:00pm Deputy released one adult male, Tanner Thompson, from PCSO Jail on time served.
9:17pm NorthWestern Energy reported a downed power line report in a Malta alley and they would be responding.
10:02pm Deputy performed security checks in the Dodson and Hwy 2 west areas.
10:49pm Deputy performed business security checks in the Saco area.
September 3, 2026
12:40am Ft Belknap LE requested PCSO assistance in locating a male suspect possibly in the Dodson area; Deputy responded; male not located.
10:41am Female requested law enforcement assistance with a situation involving a family member; Deputy handled.
11:24am Deputy performed security checks in the Dodson and Hwy 2 west areas.