Woman and Her Dog Pepper Sprayed in Pattee Canyon

A woman walking her dog in the Pattee Canyon Recreation Area was pepper-sprayed by an unidentified man on Saturday, October 26.

Patrol Captain Brad Giffin with the Missoula County Sheriff's Office said the woman was walking her dog off-leash at about 1 p.m. when the incident occurred.

"The woman was walking her dog at about mile marker four in the Pattee Canyon Recreation area near the folf course," Giffin said. "She came across a man she believed to be in his 50's with gray hair and wearing a green jacket."

Giffin said an altercation between the two individuals ensued.

"There was a confrontation between the two," Giffin said. "Evidently, the man was not happy that the dog was off the leash, and he pepper-sprayed the dog, and when the woman went to protect the dog, he sprayed her, as well."

Giffin said the report has been on Crimestoppers since Sunday, and there are already several leads to finding the suspect.

"We do have three or four Crimestoppers tips right now that are providing us with some follow-up information," Giffin said. "We are still investigating this, but without interviewing the man, we don't have any specific charges yet. More than likely it would be an assault, but that all depends on the totality of the circumstances."

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Missoula Crimestoppers at 721-4444.