BOZEMAN — As downtown becomes more crowded this weekend, it is important to remember to be aware of your surroundings while drinking. One Bozeman woman shares her story with us about being drugged at one of the local bars a couple of weeks ago.
“It was like two weekends ago, I think. I went out with a few other friends, and like, I don't remember anything after that,” says the Bozeman woman.
The woman wanted to remain anonymous. She says a man found her phone downtown on the sidewalk and called her roommate, but she has no recollection of how she got home.
“I don't remember trying to leave the bars or anything, but I ended up losing my phone and losing my wallet, keys are gone," says the woman, "From what I was told from my friends like the next morning was that, like I got dropped off by some random person at like 330 in the morning.”
This woman decided to take an at-home drug test to see what could have happened to her the night before.
“The following night, I went to Walmart and got an at-home drug test that screens for like 13 different things or something and ended up testing positive for benzodiazepines,” says the woman.
Detective Captain of the Bozeman Police Department, Dana McNeil says, “We probably receive a report every month of that concern whether or not that's ever confirmed is a different story.”
He says getting reports like this is not uncommon for the BPD.
“A lot of times we investigate those and you know, we determined that I guess what I would say the most common date rape drug is alcohol,” says Captain McNeil.
Captain McNeil says reports of date rape drugs are not on the rise, even though there are some bars they receive greater concerns for.
With such a big weekend coming up for Brawl of the Wild, Captain McNeil says to be aware of your surroundings while out, and let the police know if anything suspicious happens.
“Plan on being safe and that includes being with somebody when you plan to go out and have drinks. Maybe have somebody that's there with you don't leave your drink unattended. And as always, if you ever have any concerns, notify the police immediately," says McNeil.
