Lewistown is a city of approximately 6,000 residents located in the geographic center of Montana, just southeast of Great Falls and northwest of Billings. It serves as the government seat of Fergus County, MT. Instances of prostitution have been documented in the city and surrounding areas for decades. In the early to mid-20^th century, brothels were known to have operated along the city’s Main Street, and a female police officer was hired to help address prostitution in a way that couldn’t be “duplicated by other officers.”

Law enforcement has conducted operations targeting sex buyers in effort to reduce the demand for commercial sex. For example, in October 2021, the Lewistown Police Department arrested a suspect accused of aggravated promotion of prostitution of a minor (among many other violations). After officers received a tip from the victim’s parents alleging that their daughter was being solicited for sex through Snapchat, they accessed the young girl’s account and arranged a meeting with the suspect. Upon arrival, the suspect fled on foot to evade arrest. Officers tasered him multiple times during the pursuit, and one officer received minor injuries from the chase. Upon the suspect’s arrest, he was booked into the Fergus County Detention Center for felony aggravated promotion of prostitution – child under age 18, felony assaults with a weapon, felony possession of dangerous drugs, criminal possession of drug paraphernalia, obstructing a police officer, and resisting arrest. The suspect’s identity was not released.