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Vandals strike Pirtz Field in Billings twice in one month

Vandals strike Pirtz Field in Billings twice in one month
Posted at 12:35 PM, Mar 13, 2024
and last updated 2024-03-13 14:35:18-04

BILLINGS — Billings police are asking for the public's assistance to help find two males involved in shooting and stabbing one of the security cameras at Pirtz Field on Saturday morning.

Adam Hust is the Billings Scarlets head coach and groundskeeper for the fields, and he was the first to discover the vandalism.

Vandals strike Pirtz Field in Billings twice in one month

“We thought the lighting and the cameras would deter a lot because the cameras do talk to you. They’re loud, they flash lights. So, you’d think it’d scare most people off but obviously people don’t get too scared these days,” Hust said on Tuesday.

This isn't the first time in the last month that Pirtz Field has been vandalized. The press box at the field had speaker wires cut and windows broken out with a hatchet.

Vandals strike Pirtz Field in Billings twice in one month

“So, we’ve had, you know, over $3,000 of damage done here. Probably pushing 4 (thousand) by the time we get everything fixed," said Jeff Ballard, the Legion baseball chairman. “It’s a heavily used facility and you want it to be safe and you also want it to look good.”

According to Hust, he does not know if the police believe the two incidents are connected because they did not initially report the press box break-in.

Vandals strike Pirtz Field in Billings twice in one month

“It's all for youth organizations and the kids, and what we try to do here is build and give them a safe place to be. Unfortunately, those places become unsafe and you know, hopefully, we can put an end to a lot of what goes on in this park.”