BILLINGS — Some women in Billings are sharing suspicious experiences they've had at stores, including potential stalking.
A Facebook post warning women about troubling experiences at Target on Central Avenue brought in lots of attention, with women sharing their own experiences from around the community.
Watch - women share their stories:
The majority of the comments include references to the women being followed, with all of the women discussing how uncomfortable the situations made them feel.
Hairdresser and tattoo artist Hallee Knox is among those who commented on the post. Knox described a story of her 15-year-old daughter being followed during a late-night trip to Target.
"She went to another aisle and another aisle and they kept being in the same aisle," Knox told MTN this week. "Being made to feel uncomfortable, it's a scary thing."
Knox said that her daughter believes the group followed her even after she left the store, driving behind her on Central Avenue before she pulled into a gas station.
Knox said as a parent, the story is more than worrisome.
"That is the scariest thing," Knox said. "That is your worst fear as a parent is losing a child, in any scenario. Just because maybe you’re a young teen or a woman, you have to look over your shoulder. It's scary."
Another Billings resident, Kyla Kinker, said she had a similar experience at the Rimrock Mall with her daughter.
"We were walking to the play area and all of the sudden I feel someone behind me," Kinker said.
Kinker said that a man followed them around the mall with his phone out, appearing to be recording them. She said that they eventually lost him after ducking into a busy store.
"It was fear, and I just wanted to run and hide," Kinker said. "It's terrifying. It's a gut feeling, and it makes me mad."
According to Billings police Lt. Samantha Puckett, the police do receive a few of these types of calls each year.
"We do get calls occasionally, I wouldn't say that it's a frequent thing," Puckett said.
Nationally, the CDC, which views stalking as a public health concern, reports that one in three women are stalked at some point in their lives, with 58 percent of them experiencing it before they're 25.
It's a situation that Puckett doesn't take lightly, encouraging Billings residents to stay vigilant.
"Regardless of the time of day, to be aware of your surroundings, to not be looking at your phone," Puckett said. "If you are that uncomfortable that you feel unsafe, go to a popular area, and if you feel like it's an emergency, call 9-1-1."
It's advice echoed by Kinker and Knox, knowing how important awareness can be to prevention.
“If you’re in a situation, it’s always better to overreact because the second that you don’t, that’s when something can go terribly wrong,” Knox said.
