Zoom Chron Blog

Today’s post about narrative control is a continuation from yesterday’s post about Missoula’s power couple, Sheriff Jeremiah and hospital Barbie. In that post I referenced EWU Media and their desire to obtain and distribute footage from two Montana cases, but this effort is being legally challenged by the Missoula County Attorney’s Office, citing CCJI (Confidential Criminal Justice Information) as the reason to deny EWU’s request.

To better understand this Nevada-based media company, let’s look at their website:

Is this “media” company monetizing public record requests for commercial use? It appears so. They also make documentaries and do “investigative journalism” while feeding the insatiable appetite for “True Crime” content, which is an audience dominated by primarily women in various stages of wine intoxication.

When I started looking for online criticism of this business approach to online “storytelling” I found some interesting criticism, like this article from Vox:

If you’re arrested in America for a minor charge — say, for speeding or loitering — the punishment from the legal system might end up being the least of your worries. You might wake up a few months later and see your arrest, filmed through a police body camera, with a million views on TikTok or YouTube. A few days later, it might have 5 million views, or 20 million. Your face would be next to dozens of other faces of the recently arrested, all on monetized, for-profit social media channels. And it would be almost impossible to get the videos taken down. Like so much of the algorithm-driven internet, this particular subsection can be easy to miss. But it’s massive.

A popular YouTube channel like Code Blue Cam averages over 10 million views a video, and has totaled more than a billion across hundreds of videos. Another, Midwest Safety, has totaled over 1.5 billion views. There are dozens like this, all with similar names: “Body Cam Watch,” “PoliceActivity,” “EWU Bodycam.” At least one channel is represented by an agency that represents more traditional influencers. These channels are now well-known enough that recent arrestees have posted specifically about the fear of ending up on these channels. “I literally have panic attacks about this,” one posted on Reddit. “If my video was released I’d go off the deep end.” Another: “I feel like it will not only affect my chances of getting into a good career, but that millions of people would see me acting like a drunken idiot.”

Body-camera footage was supposed to create a layer of objective accountability for the benefit of citizens, not create an exploitive, for-profit industry of media exploiters, but that is what apparently happened, and it happened while Missoula law enforcement attempted to play the same exploitive game by directly collaborating with Live PD, a collaboration that resulted in this criticism of Bill Burt’s performance for the cameras (the image is not directly related to the Missoulian article):

In its first weekend putting the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office on live broadcast, Live PD and the production crew’s accompanying deputies have drawn allegations of “hamming it up” for good television — but the Sheriff’s Office strongly defended a stop in question as appropriate.

Anna Baldwin described her son’s Sept. 21 experience in a letter published in the Missoulian on Tuesday. Baldwin, the 2014 Montana Teacher of the Year, expanded on her son’s experience in a phone interview with the Missoulian on Tuesday.

Baldwin, of Arlee, said her son was parked at the Wye, “collecting himself” and preparing to drive home up Evaro Hill after receiving some distressing personal news, when he was approached by a deputy sheriff. Her son, 15, told Baldwin the encounter had been friendly and professional until camera crews rolled up on the scene.

Then, she said Capt. Bill Burt became aggressive with her son. Her son said the officer repeatedly told him “Don’t lie to me” about how much he had been drinking and conducted field sobriety tests outside his car.

“The biggest thing I worry about is the effect of the camera on the person who is being filmed,” Baldwin said in a phone interview with the Missoulian on Tuesday, “whether that’s the office, maybe hamming it up a little bit for effects, or the person being sought, in this case, my son. And he was humiliated. He thought he was going to be on TV for all the wrong reasons.”

Moving on, the woman going viral for getting tased by Missoula police officer, Lucas Bighouse, recently went on a Libertarian podcast to pitch her GoFundMe account, which is being run by a woman with the Tik Tok handle “406Revolutionized”.

The woman running “406Revolutionized”, Amanda McKnight, got into this work after her husband, Joshua McKnight, was arrested and prosecuted for meth possession after a car crash in Sanders County. Now Amanda is an “advocate” for those moving through “the system“.

In this episode of Unpacking Injustice, we’re joined by Amanda McKnight, founder of 406 Revolutionized, a growing Facebook group supporting incarcerated individuals and their families across Montana.

Amanda shares how her husband’s incarceration led her to become what she calls an “unwilling student of a broken legal system.” What began as a personal search for answers quickly evolved into a statewide advocacy effort focused on helping families navigate Montana’s criminal legal system, access reliable information, and find community during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Amanda discusses the challenges families face when a loved one becomes incarcerated, the importance of making legal systems easier to understand and navigate, and the role lived experience plays in advocating for change. She also shares her concerns about the parole board, prison conditions, communication barriers, and the need for greater transparency and accountability within Montana’s correctional system.

While I don’t doubt Amanda McKnight is doing some positive advocacy work for families with incarcerated loves ones–like her tweaker husband who walked out on his own trial, then used his absence in a failed attempt to appeal his conviction–I shudder at the thought that we, as a society, will be increasingly relying on digital content creators and social media algorithms to identify worthy “victims” of this dysfunctional system for the normies to throw some digital donation-dollars at so they can sleep better at night.

In the case of the tased victim of Missoula PD, it’s Northwest Liberty News doing the victim vetting. Who is Northwest Liberty News? Just some Bundy boosters doing their part to save America from itself:

NorthWest Liberty News was founded in 2013 by James White, who still serves as editor and host of the podcast that bears its namesake. White, a Network Engineer by trade, moved to the picturesque landscape and open skies of Northwest Montana just over 10 years ago with his wife and two daughters.

NorthWest Liberty News was quickly thrust into the world of alternative media shortly after its inception when Oath Keeper Founder and January 6 Political Prisoner Stewart Rhodes asked White to provide video coverage for the Oath Keepers’ journey to Nevada in defense of Cliven Bundy’s Ranch.

After listening to the interview, where the victim explains how nice the cops were in all the other instances where she got caught driving on a suspended license, I realized there was much more to this story than what was being presented to the public. Seeing “Liberty News” get involved only increases my suspicions.

Is everything a grift?

While I try telling myself that not everything is a grift, evidence of grift is all I ever seem to find when I start digging into, or try to collaborate with, different media efforts, like the podcast collective I got kicked out of after calling out Mark Steeves for being a grifter who did NOT do what his email said he would do when I was “onboarded” to “Alt Media United”.

While I haven’t given up on collaborating with other media efforts, like providing an interview to the Peaceful Sea Network/Hodler Media Group about the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office euthanizing and executing two black men, I have to admit that I might not have the tits or the temperament to be a successful content creator for the Libertarian crowd.

Should I apologize to the Stevenson family for not having the tits or temperament to make the murder of their family member by the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office sexy enough for people to care about? Or should I perhaps apologize instead for being an insufferable asshole who misread the room about the worthiness of the dead black men I’ve written about dozens of times over the last six years?

If you think I’m being unfair, here’s a suggestion of what you can do: simply claim to be a reasonable person in fear of my existence and I’m sure there’s a Missoula judge out there who will gladly give you a restraining order and, when you get that restraining order, just go somewhere that you know I’ll be and get me arrested. This strategy is now a proven recipe that will continue happening as long as I continue to physically exist, with the added crime of publicly talking about the deep and disturbing corruption I’ve found hiding behind the illusion of this liberal mountain college town.

Maybe some day a Travis with tits will appear to find a more marketable victim to unlock the dark heart of Missoula with so that it’s finally understood why David Lynch was marked from birth, and why Robert CIA Redford was welcomed with open arms.

Until that day arrives, I’ll keep puttering along the remaining patches of ground I’m legally allowed to exist on and pitching my own GoFundMe page, since no “406 Revolution” is knocking on my digital door to help out.

Thanks for reading!

When I saw the name of the person who just got promoted to Chief Executive of the “Providence Montana Service Area” my first thought was is this person related to Missoula’s Sheriff, Jeremiah Petersen?

Krissy Petersen, a registered nurse who has worked at St. Patrick Hospital for 14 years, has been named chief executive for the Providence Montana Service Area. Providence, a Washington-based nonprofit healthcare system, operates across five western states. In Montana, they own St. Pat’s, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson, more than 40 clinics statewide and 3,000 employees.

Peterson currently serves as Montana Chief Nursing Officer.

Since the Missoulian article about Krissy Petersen was written by David Erickson, I didn’t expect to find the specific information I was looking for that would provide the context I think this town needs…and I was right!

“Born and raised in Deer Lodge, she brings deep knowledge of Western Montana healthcare, having been in medicine since 2002 and has strong strategic judgment and proven operational effectiveness to this new leadership role,” Providence said in a press release.

Petersen is not available for interviews until after Labor Day, Providence said.

“She has worked at Providence St. Patrick Hospital since 2012, and throughout her tenure, Krissy has demonstrated thoughtful, effective leadership in key roles in many different clinical areas, and administrative positions including interim Chief Administrative Officer for Providence St. Joseph Medical Center and Executive Director for Cardiac and Surgical Services,” the press release said. “As a nurse by training, she brings clinical perspective, operational insight, and a values-driven approach to her work. She has a commitment to the advancement and education of our caregivers, with high professional standards for clinical excellence and patient care.”

Petersen replaces Bill Calhoun, who stepped down this spring. His resignation was not announced publicly by Providence.

While Providence didn’t publicly announce Calhoun’s departure, another media outlet DID report on Calhoun’s resignation this spring with a little context that might be helpful for Missoula readers about the Missoula hospital that allowed the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office to euthanize Sean Stevenson:

Providence Montana Chief Executive Bill Calhoun will leave his role next month, following a turbulent year that saw major job cuts and the closure of Providence St. Patrick Hospital’s maternity center.

An internal letter dated March 10 and shared with NBC Montana says Calhoun will conclude his tenure with Providence on April 10, 2026, to pursue a new professional path in executive coaching. A source who requested anonymity provided the memo, and multiple employees independently shared matching versions of the email, confirming it was sent to staff this week. An official with Providence also confirmed Calhoun has announced his resignation.

…

In 2025, Providence announced plans to eliminate about 600 full-time positions across seven states, including roles in Montana. A memo from Providence’s chief operating officer said most cuts would affect administrative positions but acknowledged some patient-care jobs would also be lost, including positions at the Providence Heart Institute Butte Clinic and the Family Maternity Center at Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. Calhoun said at the time that restructuring was still underway and warned there “may be more difficult news ahead.”

With all this context in mind, maybe picking a pretty blonde was a smart strategic move for Providence?

With Missoulian reporter, David Erickson, failing to indicate whether or not Krissy Petersen is related to Missoula’s Sheriff, I decided to crowd-source my inquiry on X and got an immediate response:

If this is true, then that makes the detail I’m about to share about a breakdown in communication between law enforcement and St. Pats hospital that much more intriguing to me.

The detail I found in a Missoulian article comes from a NON-lethal stabbing that was reported around the same time a LETHAL stabbing occurred in Missoula, so I’m not sure anyone really paid much attention to this incident, which happened back in May:

A Missoula man appeared in court Wednesday morning on charges of stabbing another man in the leg near the Poverello in May.

Jose Daniel Ramirez, 63, appeared before Judge Leslie Halligan in Missoula County District Court on charges of assault with a weapon and criminal possession of dangerous drugs, both felonies.

According to court documents, on May 9, Missoula police officers went to the area of the Poverello Center for a reported stabbing. On the scene, an officer found the victim sitting in a car with a stab wound on his upper right thigh. The victim was transported to St. Patrick Hospital.

When the alleged assailant of this stabbing was found by police he was ALSO taken to the hospital, where cops left him “in the custody” of medical staff.

Officers found Ramirez lying on the ground nearby unconscious, documents state. Another knife was found on Ramirez and seized for evidence. Ramirez regained consciousness and seemed intoxicated when answering questions, and claimed to not know anything about the incident, documents state.

Ramirez was also taken to St. Patrick Hospital, where an officer found three prescription Vyvanse pills in his pocket, documents state.

At the hospital, Ramirez was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit due to a brain bleed and left in the custody of medical staff.

And now here’s the problem: medical staff DISCHARGED THIS MAN and forgot to tell the cops about it (highlighted emphasis mine):

Since this alleged stabbing happened back in May, and Ramirez was only JUST arrested in July, here’s a natural question that comes to mind: WHEN WAS JOSE DANIEL RAMIREZ DICHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL?

This little detail that is NOT included in Andy Tallman’s reporting would be nice to know because it would help readers determine HOW LONG a potentially dangerous person was allowed to freely walk around Missoula after being discharged to the streets. Are we talking a few days, a few weeks, or a few months? I don’t know, and Providence’s new Chief Executive won’t be talking to the media until AFTER Labor Day.

How convenient.

Krissy Petersen being from Deer Lodge is another detail I find relevant, since Deer Lodge is where Montana’s prison is located. I’ve even heard stories from sources inside the system that a known method for avoiding scrutiny regarding inmate deaths at Deer Lodge is to make sure they technically expire in an ambulance, since third-party providers, like a private ambulance service, provides a nice additional layer of narrative control for authorities with something to hide.

Did I mention Jeremiah Petersen ran the jail before becoming Sheriff?

Narrative control is VERY important for authorities to maintain because, when they LOSE that control, like Missoula PD did recently after the video of Lucas Bighouse tasing a woman went viral, they are forced to take more active measures to hide the full extent of their complicity in perpetrating fear, violence, and hatred among the populace they are supposed to “serve and protect”, not stalk and assault.

For Providence, picking a woman that looks like a Barbie doll to be Chief Executive is a smart, proactive way of establishing a firm grip on future narrative control, since being critical of females in positions of power can be quickly dismissed as misogyny.

The victim role for women, even those in positions of power and influence over others, is such a powerful force for narrative controllers to make use of that a woman who murdered her own children is allowed to reference HER RIGHTS as the mother of those dead children to keep details of how she killed them shrouded from the public, and the Missoula County Attorney’s Office is helping her make this case:

EWU Media is a national true crime production company with more than 2.5 billion views since 2015, according to its website, and videos regularly secure 3 million to 5 million views on YouTube.

The company has also requested records for another Missoula County case involving a woman who pleaded guilty to murdering her two children in 2021. The woman, Leannah J. Gardipe, received a life sentence in the custody of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services in 2023.

Gardipe protested the release of the records, including body camera footage and interviews.

“I don’t agree to open my case,” Gardipe wrote from Warm Springs, a court filing in the case shows. “I believe it would violate my HIPAA rights. I think it is a violation of the rights of my children and their memories.”

Larson requested Missoula County and EWU Media submit arguments in the 2021 case by the end of July.

While my knee-jerk reaction is to criticize Missoula County for exerting narrative control in this case, EWU Media is NOT the type of media outlet worthy of uncritical support, since I believe EWU Media are narrative exploiters deploying a grift in a similar manner that the “Liberty” crowd appears to be doing, but that perspective will have to wait for tomorrow’s post, so stay tuned.

If you’d like to support an actual local voice telling local stories that legacy media won’t touch, please consider donating to my new GoFundMe page. Any little bit helps.

Thanks for reading!

Would I like to go to the James Welch literary festival?

Yes, I would, because many years ago my attendance at the University of Montana wasn’t for journalism, it was for creative writing, specifically poetry.

But, when I read about the locations where events for this festival would be held, the reality of my ankle accessory set in.

This year, there will be panels and workshops on poetry, fiction, nonfiction and art. Jones is well known enough that he’ll have a moderated talk to himself at MCT, since he has a dedicated fan base.

“Wherever he is, they kind of show up in droves,” HolyWhiteMountain said.

Heather Cahoon, a poet and professor at UM, will give a keynote address.

At a reception at Radius Gallery, Lois Welch will give a talk about “Riding the Earthboy 40” and Welch’s poetry as a whole.

Sze has taught at the Institute for American Indian Arts for years and will speak on a panel with some of his former students.

“Many, if not most of the major Native poets working right now were all his students,” HolyWhiteMountain said.

For those keeping track of how local authorities are tracking me, this Travis Exclusion Zone (TEZ) is the NEW version, slightly reduced to allow me access to Interstate 90 and Orange Street, so when Mommy drives me home she can take the most direct route–a real gas saver! THANKS LOCAL AUTHORITIES!

Part of the voluminous documentation heaped upon my poor Public Defender this week is a poem I wrote and published this spring (a link may be illegal, so find it yourself), and the poem was entered into evidence as an actual exhibit because, it was claimed, the imagery of Jesus and the “juice box” was evidence that violence was imminent.

Despite explaining to the judge that “juice box” was code for zealous members of a certain faith who are currently bathed in the blood of a Holy War, the decision did NOT go my way. That’s why it’s up to the Montana Supreme Court now to be more discerning readers my criminally-awesome writing skills.

For evidence of how deeply I once invested in my love of poetry, here’s an image of a signed copy of James Welch’s first book of poems, titled Earthboy 40, which I’m the proud owner of:

And here’s the poem that concludes this 1971 publication:

This is a FANTASTIC poem, and one I will be using in a lengthy piece of writing I’m wrapping up that connects Missoula’s controversial academic, Leslie Fiedler to Ira Einhorn (more on him later), and this connection comes through a poet I am now thoroughly disgusted by–the likely sexual predator and possible abuser of Leslie Fiedler’s own kid, Allen Ginsberg.

Before I share MY poem, let me be clear with this disclaimer that the spider, and the spider’s plan, is NOT a reference that should be interpreted as part of a nefarious plot, by me, to do anything harmful in meat space, where I am currently monitored by jester-maxxers.

Are we ready?

THERE'S A SPIDER ON MY BUDDHA

there's a spider on my buddha 
strand by strand it builds 
call the porch light Lucifer 
for moths, the softest kill

breath held deep for several seconds 
Lynch, he was a fan 
humble like a Polish rabbit 
Lynch could sell 'em crayons!

don't forget to exhale 
don't forget the role 
a spider on a buddha 
does not scheme for souls 

watch it, yes, you watch it closely 
tucked beneath its cloud 
light is not the fight, my son, it's 
bait before the shroud!

WAIT! 

words they walk on breath and
breath is tiny wind 
now the strands will vibrate and 
now the plan begins...

but don't be rude to buddha 
that attitude is wrong 
peaceful as the spider wraps you...
buddha hums a song:

dawn will break to take you 
to see another world 
forget the porch light of your mind
and give in to the twirl...

or spawn another avatar if 
your spark plug has that itch 
to learn and learn again...
karma is a bitch!

Tomorrow I have a post ready to go about a Missoula power-couple, along with a detail I caught in an article about the NON-lethal stabbing reported at the same time as the lethal stabbing hit the headlines. It’s the kind of article that, were the writer/reader roles reversed, I might be inspired to give a donation for.

That said, stay tuned and THANKS FOR READING!!!

When people are arrested and booked in jail, like Jeremy Means was this week for allegedly stabbing and killing Vaughn Tlustosch, a mugshot photo is taken, but that photo is NO LONGER SHARED with the public. Here’s why, according to a 2024 article from The Pulp:

Missoula County is no longer posting booking photos — more commonly known as mugshots — on its online jail roster. The change began on Nov. 1, according to a press release from the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, but caught the eye of the broader public when Missoula Mugs, a locally popular if controversial website that posted mugshots from the jail roster, announced that it had been “gutted” by the county and would no longer operate.

Questions from The Pulp to the sheriff’s office about the change were directed to Brian West, a deputy county attorney. West told The Pulp that the decision to remove mugshots from the jail roster — the names and charges of those held in county jail are still readily available online — came from an ongoing discussion that began in the spring between the county attorney’s office, the sheriff’s office, the jail commander and other county officials. The county started reviewing the practice, West said, because an individual had complained that the administrator of an online page had attempted to “extort” money in exchange for removing the mugshot.

To see what this alleged killer looks like I found a Facebook post from the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office from 2019, which I’ll post below, along with a few prescient comments about this violent offender who living, non-compliantly, in Missoula.

While the sentiment expressed by Stephanie Hensley is understandable, trash like Jeremy Means often find themselves in places that support them, like Missoula and Great Falls–two GREAT places for violent and sexual offenders to hang out without bothering to register themselves as offenders.

How many NON-COMPLIANT violent and sexual offenders does Missoula have? After setting some filters on the registry site I discovered Missoula has 52 non-compliant offenders, including Coty Low, the guy who tried kidnapping a 10 year old girl from a Missoula park in 2014.

A man accused of grabbing a 10-year-old girl as she played with her brother in a Missoula park has pleaded not guilty to attempted kidnapping.

The Missoulian reports 34-year-old Coty James Low appeared before District Judge Karen Townsend on Tuesday via video from jail. She continued his bail at $100,000.

Prosecutors say Low ran up to the children on June 21 and grabbed the girl by the leg. He carried her about 25 feet before the girl’s kicking and screaming caused him to drop her.

The girl’s father chased after the man and held him for police.

Low initially said he was trying to save the girl from a dog, and then told police he was looking for companionship and wasn’t thinking when he grabbed the girl.

Prosecutors say Low was convicted of sexually assaulting a nurse in April.

Another article goes into more detail about what Coty Low’s 2014 criminal history looked like before the attempted kidnapping of a 10 year old girl at Lion’s Park, which, incidentally, is the SAME park near the California Street bridge, where Jeremy Means is accused of his heinous crime.

Deputy Missoula County Attorney Jessica Finley told Justice of the Peace Amy Blixt that Low has a criminal history that has recently been escalating into more serious offenses.

“He was convicted of sexual assault in April for reaching up a nurse’s skirt and touching her genitals,” Finley said. “During the same weekend as this incident in the park, it was reported that he took off his pants and exposed himself to a mission group who helps the homeless. It looks like the offenses have graduated from indecent exposure to sexual assault on an adult, and now this attempted abduction of a 10 year-old girl. For that reason, the defendant poses a significant threat to the community, so the state is asking for bail of $100,000.”

How does a man convicted of sexual assault in April of 2014 find himself free in July of that same year to attempt a kidnapping? I mean, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS TOWN?

Unfortunately it’s NOT just Missoula. Great Falls, where the stabbing victim went to high school, is increasingly getting put on my radar for being a significant part of the trafficking world, which includes “homeless” people like the young tweaker living at Buckhouse bridge before getting arrested on meth charges in March.

With so many non-compliant offenders in Montana, you might think some outside help would be appreciated, but that is NOT the case in Cascade County, where Alex Rosen recently called out Great Falls authorities for being VERY uninterested in using his evidence of local offenders trying to fuck children to stop them from, you know, fucking children.

Why don’t you want any help catching sex offenders, Sheriff Slaughter?

Something is seriously rotten in Montana and I’m going to keep digging into the stink of this state’s corrupt criminal justice system even as it targets ME in another round of lawfare.

If you appreciate my work and want to help out, financially, my new GoFundMe page is currently taking donations. Any little bit helps.

Thanks for reading!

A local podcast about dead people is getting some more media hype because Apple named it one of the best new podcasts of 2026.

A podcast borne out of a journalism classroom at the University of Montana has been named to Apple Podcasts’ “Best So Far” list for 2026.

In an arena full of thousands upon thousands of programs, what was it that made this one stand out? UM News Service tells us that Apple’s “Best-So-Far” List for 2026 has recognized this Griz endeavor as one of the year’s standout new shows.

As a podcast failure and financial loser who never got any of the important people to care about the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office killing of Sean Stevenson, maybe I should take some notes about how a professor at the University of Montana managed to get important people, like Jad Abumrad, to take her dead-person storytelling to the next level.

Abumrad was named a 2011 MacArthur Fellow; the foundation cited his “engaging audio explorations of scientific and philosophical questions” which “captivate listeners and bring to broadcast journalism a distinctive new aesthetic”, while using “his background as a composer to orchestrate dialogue, music, and sound effects into compelling documentaries that draw listeners into investigations of otherwise intimidating topics.”

…

In 2018 Abumrad hosted the four-part podcast series “UnErased,” which tells the stories of survivors of gay conversion therapy.

One clue about how Jule Banville managed to get a successful podcast up and running about dead people is that she knows where NOT to tread when it comes to certain stories, like a young Native man who allegedly shot himself after local law enforcement pulled him over.

To show you what I’m talking about, here’s a screenshot from The Obit Project’s website with the part of the narrative summary stating what this story is NOT about highlighted for emphasis:

Since my interest in dead people tends to focus on HOW they became dead, especially when the facilitators of death wear badges and act cagey about disclosing information to family members in a timely manner, I’m still curious about what transpired in THIS case with Galbreath’s family, according to the reporting at the time from Montana Free Press:

The early description of the incident began with Galbreath being pulled over on Missoula’s Great Northern Avenue shortly after midnight. While details of the stop and any interaction between the police officer and Galbreath remain undisclosed, police scanner audio first published by the Missoulian depicts an officer saying “he’s taken off on me,” apparently referring to Galbreath driving away.

Officers communicated over radio as they pursued Galbreath in their vehicles with sirens blaring until police brought the chase to an end on Stephens Avenue close to 1 a.m. Soon after, shots were fired.

The police department has said that officers on the scene provided medical assistance and called for Emergency Medical Services. Galbreath was transported to St. Patrick Hospital, where he later died.

Even after Monday’s announcement, many details of the incident remain publicly unknown. In a Friday interview with Montana Free Press, LaFromboise said Galbreath’s parents were not aware of their son’s hospital admission until medical staff called to tell them he had died. LaFromboise said that call came in around 5:20 a.m., roughly three hours after Galbreath had reportedly been admitted to the intensive care unit.

Missoula EMS and the Missoula Police Department have declined to say when Galbreath was transported to the hospital.

In this case, and others like it, the investigating agency that helps clear law enforcement 99% of the time is the Department of Criminal Investigation, or DCI.

Here’s how that path was laid out by Brian Lockerby for Galbreath’s family:

Lockerby announced that DCI will not be making any additional public statements as the investigation continues.

“Our agency makes no assumptions and draws no conclusions. We gather facts and produce a comprehensive investigative report,” Lockerby said, adding that the division’s final report will be delivered to the Missoula County attorney. After that, he said, the case will “likely” become a coroner’s inquest.

When the “likely” coroner’s inquest eventually materialized, it produced the predicable conclusion of NOTHING TO SEE HERE, which is what every coroner’s inquest I’ve seen and/or researched has concluded. And larger media platforms just let those narratives solidify without challenge, like Banville did in this case.

Is this a relevant factor in her podcast’s success?

Another episode of The Obit Project covers the death of Wayne Boyes, the late farmer/husband of a bad-ass woman I recently chatted with, since her family helped end Ryan Funke’s embarrassing tenure as Sheriff of Mineral County.

Part of this effort to fire Ryan Funke from his Sheriff position entailed publicly sharing painful details of a personal tragedy for the Boyes family that Ryan Funke made WORSE by bringing DCI in to cover his ass, directly referencing the heat he got for his role in mishandling the Rebekah Barsotti case (a case I wish I had never gotten involved with) as his justification.

The episode that really drove home for me how a successful podcast operates is the dead homeless man Banville curated for her NPR-loving audience.

Ok, I think I’m starting to understand now. This gnome-looking homeless man from Billings, who notably lived “off-grid” by choice, is definitely a safer and therefore smarter “obit” story to document than what I chose to dive head-first into.

For additional context, the homeless obit story I stupidly decided to give a shit about examines this weird idea–one that’s apparently a foreign concept to authorities in Big Sky country–and that’s the idea that a family should get a say in WHEN authorities pull the life-support plug on a beloved family member.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for Sean Stevenson and his family.

A member of Sean’s family did finally come to Missoula this year, though only briefly, to survey the geography where Sean lived before the coroner killed him, but I’m saving the details of that story for another time, since to tell it the way I’d like to tell it would put me in further legal jeopardy right now.

If you sympathize with how loudly I’ve failed over the years with my unique and costly shit-giving about the wrong kind of dead people, please consider donating to my new GoFundMe page. Any little bit helps.

Thanks for reading!