A Clancy man is among three Montana Army National Guard members facing criminal trespassing charges after reportedly landing a military Black Hawk helicopter on private property in the Crazy Mountain foothills to retrieve elk antlers.
Witnesses in Sweet Grass County reported the May 4 incident involving National Guard members Deni Lynn Draper, 36, from Clancy,Michael Vincent Bray, 30, from Helena, and Perry Wray Woodland, 30, from Great Falls. Freshly shed antlers can sell for hundreds of dollars in Montana, but they cannot be removed from private property without permission.
“An internal investigation is underway,” Major General J. Peter Hronek, adjutant general of the Montana National Guard, said in a statement. “If true, this behavior does not align with the values of the Montana National Guard. Misuse of military equipment erodes the trust we strive to uphold with the people of Montana.”
