Month: May 2022

by Travis Mateer

The phenomenon known as “sex tourism” is an insidious part of human trafficking, and the locations notorious for this kind of exploitive market are usually thought to be OUTSIDE America, like Brazil, or Thailand.

Well, I don’t think Montana has the luxury anymore of pretending this exploitation isn’t happening right underneath out collective noses. That’s why I wrote this sarcastic article WELCOMING traffickers to Montana.

In that article I highlight a few notable characters in Montana who I think make our state an attractive investment for traffickers, and one of those characters, Bill Burt, just happens to be running a political campaign for Justice of the Peace, which is something I consider to be fucking hilarious.

The current Justice of the Peace, Alex Beal, is running to retain his job, and since he’s someone I’ve previously had some contact with when I was employed in the non-profit sector, I decided to reach out to Alex to make sure he was reading my articles.

In my conversations with Alex Beal I passionately voiced my concern about Montana becoming a sex tourism state, so it’s pretty ironic that a man from Washington state with an ‘uncontrollable deviant impulse’ would end up in Alex Beal’s courtroom. From the link:

58-year-old Kenton Shaull of Washington State is in the Missoula County Detention Center on $300,000 bond charged with sexual abuse of children.

Court documents state that Shaull traveled to Missoula specifically to engage in sexual activity with a person he thought was only 14 years old, but was actually a law enforcement officer posing as a child.

At his Missoula Justice Court appearance before Justice of the Peace Alex Beal, Deputy County Attorney Andrea Haney detailed the serious nature of the charges against Shaull.

One of the realities that makes Montana susceptible to this illicit market of human misery is local law enforcement’s lack of resources to keep up with what’s going on in this vast state, where people with DEEP pockets like to come and play. That dynamic creates a dangerous reliance on private sector entities to do things like search for lost people. I’m looking at you, Life Guard Group and Two Bear Air.

Another dynamic–and this is probably more specific to Missoula–is the retarded wokeness that sucks up the oxygen when it comes to non-profits, social media and creative content, like podcasts. Here’s an example from my former employer exemplifying what I’m talking about:

For some reason, I’m just not feeling the marketing of MISSING and MURDERED indigenous women, and it frankly creeps me out that the men are wearing those shirts, but maybe that’s just me.

Earlier this week I was driving my kids to get some food when my oldest told me his class is listening to the STOLEN podcast about Jermain Charlo. I immediately began telling my kids about the work I’m doing to expose the dynamics at play behind the scenes of podcasts like Connie Walker’s STOLEN series, dynamics that directly implicate supposed “helpers” in the fight against human trafficking.

I’ve been trying to get Connie Walker’s attention through social media, but, alas, I guess she doesn’t want her media product tainted by the possibility she was professionally handled by people like Detective Guy Baker and Chaplain/Lifeguard Group dude, Lowell Hochhalter, especially now that Connie Walker is on to the next tragi-tainment piece for the True Crime crowd.

Speaking of True Crime, there is obvious interest in the body found west of Superior, Montana, which hit the headlines yesterday with not very much context.

If I have anything to add it would be a suggestion to would-be citizen journalists who show up around 9am at the State Crime Lab to emphatically suggest any body that was brought in be treated as evidence: do not write on the sign-in sheet, under who you’re seeing, “anyone who gives a shit” because they WILL ask you to leave.

Despite my emphatic advocacy, I managed to calm down a bit when I realized the man standing near a conference room watching the exchange was The Director of the lab. We ended up having a nice chat about jurisdiction (their office is under the oversight of the Attorney General) as I explained the list of institutions I have lost any semblance of trust in.

I was directed by The Director to contact Kyler Nerison with the AG office, to which I replied “he doesn’t respond to my emails”. Then I directed The Director to my blog, where I told him he would find articles with titles like Coming To Terms With The Power Of Things Not Happening.

A good example of that power is the fact Rebekah Barsotti’s family has STILL NOT RECEIVED THE 911 CALL, something private investigator, James Terry, brought attention to in another Williston radio appearance.

I imagine a lot of attention is coming, but will it be able to see the scope of what is happening here? I’m going to do my best to make that answer is YES!

Thanks for reading. And thanks for giving a shit!

by Travis Mateer

Last Friday I spent a little time at the Reserve Street homeless camps as efforts to remove trash got a major infusion of resources, thanks to emergency orders being passed at the last minute, surprising organizer Kevin Davis with heavy equipment to help–and WOW!–did they ever help, to the tune of 40 TONS of trash kept from getting swept into the river during spring runoff.

Here’s the reporting from NBC Montana:

Missoula County Commissioners are expected to consider an emergency proclamation on Tuesday regarding hazardous waste entering the Clark Fork River.

The agenda for the meeting gives no specifics on the resolution. 

NBC Montana has been covering volunteer efforts that have now removed 40 tons of garbage from around the Reserve Street Bridge.

The state is filing a lawsuit against Missoula County and a number of homeless people. Volunteers are trying to keep waste from endangering habitat.

This man-made disaster, brought to you by scared Sheriff Deputies and enabling service providers, is not the only man-made problem being dealt with in the area.

A Missoulian story yesterday tells the absurd story of Tully Sanem, a resident of the official outdoor camp on Clark Fork Lane. According to Sanem, he was lured to the camp with the promise of anything goes, so he spent $800 bucks on pallets and nails, only to have his dreams destroyed by city code enforcers.

Here is some of the absurdity as told by Sanem himself:

The destruction of the structures presented a significant financial loss to campers like Sanem, who invested almost $800 into pallets, nails and tools to build a sturdy apparatus.

“I wanted a structure because I don’t want to be huddling up in five blankets when it’s 15 degrees outside,” he said. “I go out, and I work, and I contribute, and I engage in commerce and I help so many people out. I should not have to live in squalor.”

Beyond the immediate security a structure provided to Sanem, he wanted to use the stability of the building to build a foundation for a better life.

“That’s what you need, a foundation,” he said.

He hoped to build up the structure and use it as a base of operations to potentially start a small business or nonprofit building crafts with the other residents of the Authorized Camping Site.

“I wanted to make it a home because everybody wants a home,” he said.

The situation is especially frustrating, Sanem noted, because he checked with authorities at the camp before moving in about six weeks ago.

“We all had the understanding we could do whatever we wanted to do,” he said.

I added the emphasis on what sounds like an embellishment from a client of homeless services, but after speaking with a man who is still actively living at Reserve Street, I’m not so sure.

While volunteers and city officials cleaned up trash (I saw County Commissioner Juanita Vero and City Council member, Kristen Jordan), I walked over to chat with “Drunk Ninja” (this is the name he gave me when I asked).

Drunk Ninja came out of his encampment swinging a machete, which definitely made me a little nervous. After a few minutes, though, Drunk Ninja and I were buddies. He even gave me some weed, which I accepted and DID NOT consume.

Drunk Ninja told me about the various bribes service providers, like the Poverello’s Homeless Outreach Team, tried offering him to get him to relocate, but he refused them all. Now it’s just him, his amphetamine, and a little semi-feral kitten.

After I established a decent rapport with Drunk Ninja, I told him about what happened to Johnny Lee Perry when he was out in the woods swinging around a machete, but I’m not sure my warning was received.

When it comes to the official camp, Tully Sanem is adamant he was given the ok to build BEFORE he relocated.

Sanem said he got the go-ahead to build a structure out of pallets before he even moved into his site at the camp, and he even asked if he could erect a two-story structure. He said he was under the impression all of his building plans would be allowed.

Sebastian said camp supervisors only recently started enforcing regulations about the structures because the buildings made out of pallets were becoming a safety concern. 

Sanem and some of his friends at the site say they would not have moved in if they had known tent camping would be their only option.

“After you spend 20 years in a tent, you get really sick of living in a tent,” said a resident who goes by “Shadow.”

Since I’m familiar with one of these clients, I’m going to do some more investigating to get a better sense of what is being promised, and what is actually happening, because I think there is a real disparity there.

So stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

I had a name in mind when I wrote the title of this post, but then I second-guessed myself because, for Jane Rectenwald to be considered dangerous, that would mean her questions about Montana’s election integrity are valid.

Yesterday evening I had the pleasure of attending a liberty gathering at Crosspoint Church where the two speakers, Brad Tschida and Jane Rectenwald, described the curious political landscape in Montana that puts them at odds with members of their own party, like the WILDLY popular Secretary of State, Christi Jacobson.

If you don’t think Christi Jacobson is VERY popular with Conservative voters, then please explain the following graph that shows how Jacobson got THOUSANDS more votes in the 2020 election than Donald Trump.

Obviously, the Secretary of State and Attorney General are ROCK STAR political seats to hold for conservative voters, which is why so many voters forgot to darken the bubble for Trump after making sure they got Christi and Austin elected.

That’s sarcasm, by the way. The graph makes no fucking sense whatsoever, but who cares?

While Rectenwald tries to raise the alarm with people like our Lieutenant Governor, Kristen Juras, other Republicans have better things to do, like whine about partisanship at a cop memorial in Missoula.

Here’s the AG Austin Knudsen explaining why cops are moving to Montana:

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen appeared on KGVO’s Talk Back show on Friday after speaking at the Missoula Law Enforcement Memorial ceremony at Rose Memorial Park on Thursday evening.

This is Police Week, and Knudsen specifically addressed the issue of why so many out-of-state law enforcement personnel are deliberately moving to Montana.

“That’s why they’re here,” began Knudsen. “They are leaving unfriendly ‘defund the police’ states and ‘defund the police’ cities and they’re coming here, and that’s why I think weeks like this are very important. They see how much we value them, and how much we recognize the important work that they do; its very important.”

Yes, Austin, the people who enforce laws are VERY IMPORTANT. And, if I’m not mistaken, I believe these things called “elections” ALSO have laws that govern how they are to be conducted. Are you concerned about the people who enforce those laws?

Despite evidence our election infrastructure, and the people who operate it, lack integrity, State Rep. Brad Tschida still implored the meager crowd to support conservative candidates.

When one particular name was mentioned–HD 14 candidate Denley Loge–a handsome looking man dressed in black shorts and a sleeveless shirt raised his hand and suggested this candidate should have been more forthcoming as a juror in the David Barsotti partner/family assault case, in which David Barsotti was found NOT guilty.

Who was this man? I can report his name tag read: PISSED OFF CITIZEN JOURNALIST.

If more people openly engaged with the election data and risked asking themselves the hard questions, like Jane Rectenwald has, then they might realize this is a BIPARTISAN erosion of the very thing that guarantees a citizen check on the power that exists in things like badges and laws.

If we lose that then we’re in serious trouble, so better start paying attention, citizens. The time is getting late.

by Travis Mateer

I stared at the (digital) blank page of this post for quite some time before writing the title, then I stared at the title for awhile trying to figure out what it meant.

I knew I was setting up a contrast between the significant increase in nights of shelter provided by the Poverello Center from 2020 to 2021, and a hug I got from an old homeless woman on Sunday evening, but beyond that, I wasn’t sure what I was actually trying to SAY about this contrast.

Some helpful context for the increasing homeless numbers can be found in this post of mine from December 14th, 2020, where I declare the PR charade of claiming homeless numbers are going DOWN is finally over. Should this post, then, be another I TOLD YOU SO post?

While the need is overwhelming and feels like it’s getting worse (because it is), the hug I got from a former client, and the help her friend gave me to NOT leave my phone behind (which I was about to do), helped remind me why I’m doing what I’m doing.

I needed the reminder because exposing the corruption at the level I’m attempting is sometimes a little stressful, but it’s what I’m called to do, so the encouragement from members of this lubricated street tribe helped stop the creeping doubt that sometimes invades my resolve.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned. Some serious stuff is cooking in Zoom Town.

by Travis Mateer

While I’ve been amused by some local candidates in the past, the brazen candidacy of former Missoula Sheriff Captain, Bill Burt, is perhaps the most hilarious campaign I’ve ever witnessed, and it’s not even June yet!

One of the key factors fueling the hilarity is Bill’s checkered past, like the time he got drunk with his cousin and broke into a hospital in Butte. I wrote about that incident, along with a more recent incident, in this post welcoming traffickers to Montana.

Today’s post is going to examine how Bill Burt got himself SUPERCHARGED at taxpayer expense and, speaking of costs, it cost me a whole THREE DOLLARS to get access to the article I’ll be quoting from because the corporate overlords at the Missoulian have finally closed all my access loopholes. Maybe the Missoulian business department should send Bill a thank you letter.

The story of the SUPERCHARGED Sheriff vehicle that Bill Burt used to take his boat to the lake is a result of the 2018 Sheriff election where TWO candidates tried dislodging the doughboy of corruption, TJ McDermott, from his perch.

Here’s TJ and Bill shaking hands for the camera:

And here’s the story about why $7,000 dollars just HAD to be spent to make Bill’s Sheriff vehicle FASTER:

A Missoula County Sheriff captain’s patrol SUV was upgraded with a supercharger because the vehicle wasn’t fast enough to keep up during a pursuit following a 2016 kidnapping, Sheriff T.J. McDermott said Thursday in response to an election opponent questioning the purchase.

Deputy Travis Wafstet, who is running as an Independent, took to his campaign Facebook page Thursday, calling the supercharger an example of “unnecessary spending” and said the captain later used the patrol vehicle to tow his personal boat to the lake.

The sheriff said the captain had permission to use his patrol SUV to go on the lake trip because he was on call at the time, but that he and the captain agreed afterward not to use it for that reason again.

I’m delighted these Bill Burt stories have been arriving in my inbox from a reader with a good memory because the Missoula dumpster fire is too vast a conflagration for one wily citizen journalist to cover alone, and you better believe I’m staying busy, especially after what I disclosed about the Rebekah Barsotti missing person case last Saturday.

Since last Saturday’s disclosure, along with my call for a Department of Justice investigation into the Missoula County Sheriff’s Department, some interesting things have been happening…and NOT HAPPENING, as it were.

Has Rebekah’s mother, Angela Mastrovito, received the 911 call yet? No, she hasn’t, despite paying a lawyer A LOT of money to obtain basic information from her daughter’s case. What other curious things have NOT happened? Ask Mineral County attorney, Ellen Donahue, about that job she thought she had. For a hint on what might be swirling around in Mineral County, here’s something from Facebook:

What else was happening in March? Was there a criminal case against Rebekah’s estranged husband, David Barsotti? Was one of the jurors sitting in judgement of that case a longtime Rep. for House District 14? Was this also the month Mineral County Sheriff, Mike Toth, decided to WITHDRAW his hat from the political ring? And was March also the month that Bill Burt suddenly retired from his law enforcement career?

Yes, Angela, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE IN MONTANA???

I know it can be easy to dismiss the writing of one citizen journalist “blogger” who professes a Gonzo-style bias when writing about what I’m actually living, day to day, so it was nice to get confirmation from a more conventional reporter in Mineral County that things are looking fucked.

Of course, since Monte Turner isn’t Gonzo like me, he didn’t use any profanity. Here is exactly what he said in a text message to me last week:

Do you see that clear admission from a reporter who lives in Superior, Montana that this has gone from FISHY TO FRAUDULENT? Pretty significant, if you ask me.

I debated whether or not to publicize my communication with Mr. Turner because I had initially considered the exchanges to be just on background, but that was before I evolved my perspective on how close Monte Turner may or may not be to David Barsotti.

So, some questions I would like EVERYONE reading this to consider: what was happening BEFORE July 20th? Did David Barsotti call Monte Turner about Rebekah’s disappearance BEFORE she even went missing? What could David’s development of HAM radio skills mean? After speaking with private investigator, James Terry, these are the kind of questions I am now asking and, if Mr. Terry’s information is accurate, what does all this signify?

If you don’t think investigating the investigators MUST HAPPEN at this point to restore public trust, what kind of evidence would convince you an objective investigation is critically necessary? Because I would have more confidence in a pedophile running a daycare than I would in local law enforcement’s ability to PROTECT and SERVE the public that pays them.

Getting back to Bill Burt, the “liquid expert”, my direct conversation with this candidate/handler-of-grieving-family-members continues to mystify me. Why did Bill spend SO MUCH TIME describing the difficult water conditions to me on the phone regarding this particular section of the Clark Fork river where Rebekah is assumed to have gone in and drowned? My English Major degree has me thinking Shakespearan thoughts like The lady doth protest too much, methinks…

And I’m not the only one who thinks Bill’s role in this stinks.

The conclusion of this post is an absolutely SCATHING email Bill Burt received recently from Angela Mastrovito. I hope readers can appreciate the guts it took to write and send this communication, but don’t take my word for it, read it and judge it for yourself.

Here it is:

Hi Bill –

 I am sending to you a report from Wings of Hope/Northstar K9 Search and Rescue from 2021.   Brad Smith is confident that on August 20, 2021, they located Rebekah.   According to Brad Smith,  you insisted on an attempt using Local SAR divers without the suggestions or assistance from Wings Of Hope.   Brad Smith and Diane Stefanick left the same day of discovery due to the difference of opinion.

You will see from this report that the dogs continued to alert the next day.   On the 23rd of August the remaining representative from Northstar was informed by yourself and TJ McDermott that Rebekah’s case was being returned to Mineral County.   A County without resources.    Basically, it comes down to Missoula decided to abort the recovery  mission.   Turned it back to Sheriff Toth and he informed the team their services were no longer needed.

My question is this –   Why request services from WOH and not accept their assistance in recovery?   Why abort this mission after a single attempt, knowing there was an image?   You have told me multiple times, imaging does not lie.   Is that not true in this case?  Were your attempts to console me because you and TJ McDermott decided to leave Rebekah in the river?   Is that why you are so driven to find Rebekah now?

And what about the August 23, 2021 date returning the case to Mineral County?   We were not informed until September 29, 2021.   The local media was informed September 29, 2021.   That was all a lie.   No wonder, nothing was being “investigated” the month of September.   Missoula wasn’t handling the case after August 23, 2021.   

You had been very concerned about me as a grieving mother, specifically reaching out and maintaining a relationship of sorts after the team left through the end of the year and even into January.   This stopped when you heard that I had hired this team to come out, the efforts to maintain the relationship stopped.   Were your previous attempts driven by guilt instead?

Had we not hired Wings of Hope/Northstar K9 to return in March of 2022, this information would have been buried.   Because we paid for their services the initial report that was never shared with us became accessible.  

Even if Rebekah is in the water, we do not know HOW she got there.   You can say accident all you want to.   I don’t believe it.   Nothing adds up in this case.    Mineral County continues to refuse to release the 911 call.  Our safety has been threatened, being informed the trailer we were staying in was “highly combustible”, our home in VA threatened to be torched, and an extortion attempt in March 2022.   All that for a river accident?   And by someone who knows David Barsotti.   Too many things don’t add up.  The longer Rebekah remains in the water the less chance of recovering her or any evidence.   Her body would have told the story at 4 weeks. 

There is also a file with information that was gathered from a person in the community who captured imaging on August 10, 2021.   This information was submitted to Missoula County Sheriff Office   – Sgt. Ryan Prather.   I did not know about this until Frankie Hallett knew I hired Wings of Hope to come back out in March of 2022.   Frankie Hallett reached out and asked if I had been informed of his information.   I had not. 

We have reached out to DCI, FBI and most recently US Marshall of MT.   

I have attempted to reach out to Missoula County Sheriff Office, Sheriff TJ McDermott and Sgt. Ryan Prather.   No response.   

We are beyond devastated at the lies and the cover up.   By you, by both County Sheriff Departments.

We will keep seeking and searching for Rebekah.   We will keep searching to find out what happened.   We  have lost all faith in you and law enforcement. 

Angela and Gerry Mastrovito

on behalf of Rebekah

and her entire family 

Damn!