“Town Crier” newsletter – Briefs from the Region (2) – 2/6/20
Gabrielle Harding, 16, was last seen near the North 24th Avenue area of Bozeman, adjacent to the CVS and Safeway, on Jan. 20. The Bozeman Police Department intensified search efforts after receiving an email tip that she had been forced at knifepoint into a vehicle, an account that was intended to mislead investigators. The culprit, Zachary Christopher Antikainen of Bozeman, has been charged with tampering of evidence and is being held on $10,000 bail as of Jan. 31, according to KRTV. The misdirection allowed Harding to willingly leave her Bozeman residence with Zachary Green Littlepage, 20. The duo was then spotted in Clatskanie, Oregon, on Jan. 25, before ultimately heading due south for Texas. On Jan. 31, Littlepage was taken into custody by law enforcement at a Border Patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, Texas, on a felony charge of custodial interference, and Harding was transferred to the custody of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, reports the Billings Gazette. The article commended the joint efforts of the Montana State University Police Department, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Hudspeth County Sheriff’s Office in securing Harding’s safety.
