Month: October 2022

by Travis Mateer

Yesterday, while checking the Missoula County Inmate Information Portal, I noticed the man who called his DAUGHTER about Johnny Lee Perry threatening him with a machete, Jackie Maxvill, was recently arrested on serious charges, but not serious enough to keep this man in jail for longer than two weeks.

Yes, despite a bond of $75,000, Mr. Maxvill has been released to the streets where I’m sure he’ll be a model citizen who will show up to his next court date.

The arresting officer in Maxvill’s latest run-in with law enforcement is Detective Guy Baker, and I think that’s interesting.

Why do I find this interesting?

I find this interesting because Maxvill was involved in getting Johnny Lee Perry killed by the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, and Johnny Lee Perry was involved in the death of Sean Stevenson, and my investigation into how Sean came to be euthanized in St. Patrick’s hospital by the Sheriff’s Office put me in contact with a homeless man two summers ago who knew A LOT about Sean’s death, including the identity of the nurse who was allegedly fired for not pulling the plug on Sean.

I recently looked at some notes from that summer and the homeless man I spoke with told me he had a police contact. Guess who he said that contact was? That’s right, Guy Baker.

Over the summer I spoke with Detective Baker regarding a girl selling flowers on Higgins because I suspected she was being exploited in some manner, only to find out from Baker I shouldn’t worry because it was probably just a Russian thing.

Should I take Baker’s word on that? I mean, he’s working closely with the LifeGuard Group, which is connected to the Gianforte Foundation, so I’m sure his trafficking perspective is pure and not bothered at all by politics.

That’s sarcasm, by the way.

On Friday, after being excluded from an event open to the public about the crisis levy, I visited with some homeless people to gain perspective. I even drove to the Transitional Safe Outdoor Space to see if the homeless guy who knows the Detective Guy was around, but he wasn’t.

Then I tried to do the weekend thing, only to be hit on Sunday by a United Way TWOFER. Or a THREEFER, if you count Mike Nugent twice (because of his duel role on City Council AND the board president of United Way, duh).

Here is the anecdotal story used in the op-ed to desperately influence their sinking levy ship:

Our friend’s mother, a retired professor now in her mid-90s and suffering from dementia, was standing on her front porch, half clothed and yelling for help. When an alarmed neighbor called 911, the responding officer assessed the situation and quickly called for the Mobile Support Team. The MST clinicians who showed up and defused the crisis deftly, working patiently with our friend to calm and reassure her mom. The crisis was resolved, and a plan put in place for follow-up care. Our friend and her mom found relief, compassion, and a positive resolution to what could have been a much sadder story.

This episode — one of more than 225 that occur in Missoula each month — illustrates that the hospital or jail is not the best place for everyone in obvious mental distress. Had those been the only alternatives in this situation, our friend’s mom would most likely have become further agitated and likely traumatized. A great many similar situations can be resolved “in place,” diverting costly visits to the jail or emergency room. In fact, in the past year and a half, the MST has saved nearly $1 million in emergency room visits. In most cases, the MST can keep the client in place, safe and with a plan should they go into crisis again.

That’s nice. There’s an anecdotal story I’d like to share here, but now is not the time, and the story isn’t mine to tell anyway.

Back to the guy named Jack, who this post is about; I wonder where’s he’s at, maybe that spot down the Southside road where people continue to live?

Is it legal to live in the woods like that? I don’t know, ask David Burgert.

Or maybe consider that you’re asking the wrong question. Maybe the question should be this: where is the law firm willing to bring down a GENUINE Hammer of Mandamus on Missoula County’s criminal justice poseurs?

I know a few people who WON’T be supportive of that kind of legal action, and that would be the people supporting the unopposed reelection of Missoula County Attorney, Kirsten Pabst. Here’s the screenshot:

I see a lot of people listed above who probably don’t want a repeat of national scrutiny because of shameful conduct by alleged professionals across the public and private sectors.

The crisis is the cabal of influence peddlers selling you the crisis levy. Until that problem is addressed, voting yes is a vote to dump gasoline on the dumpster fire.

If you appreciate my content, please consider making a donation at my about page.

Thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

The catalyst for this article comes from the Kaimin, Missoula’s University newspaper, and its Open Air piece fretting about the traveling preachers and why they keep visiting UM’s campus.

The race baiter referenced in the title of this post is Tobin Shearer, a professor on campus who I am VERY familiar with after writing this post back in 2017 about the killing of Missoula’s Festival of the Dead. Shearer is quoted in the article about the traveling preacher. From the first link (emphasis mine):

Tobin Shearer works for the university of Montana in the history department. He’s the director of African American Studies and graduate studies, but before he started working for the University, he got his degree in religious studies and history. 

He knows a lot about religion, but he also knows a lot about campus dynamics. According to him, the preachers aren’t a new phenomenon. 

“I’ve been here 15 years, I would say, on average, at least every other year, there’s someone at some point in the course of the year doing that same thing… the evangelical sort of belligerence has been recurrent over time,” Shearer said. 

The preachers are usually evangelists. They come in a million different flavors of religion, but the goal is basically to convert people to their beliefs. If you’re super secular like me, you may be thinking, if they wanted people to join their church, maybe they should be nicer about how they recruit people. How does screaming insults into a crowd of twenty-somethings make them hungry for Jesus? 

Why am I pointing out the claim Shearer is making about himself being SUPER SECULAR? Because it confuses me, that’s why. And it confuses me because Tobin Shearer goes to a Presbyterian church here in Missoula, the same one a doctor recently sentenced for sexually predating on some of his female patients attends.

If you doubt my claim regarding Shearer’s associations with this local church, here is some evidence from a service held on May 22, 2022, referencing Shearer’s influence on the content of said church:

While I don’t think claiming to be SUPER SECULAR necessarily precludes one from attending a church, I do find it curious that someone who is posturing for the University newspaper as just interested in religion on a secular level is, in actuality, quite involved in a local church.

Maybe Tobin Shearer is squeamish about that sexual predator I mentioned above who goes to the same church he does, but I’m not sure why this should be a problem, since Jaime Armstrong is probably SUPER repentant, and FPC is a SUPER progressive church. So he sexually assaulted some patients? Isn’t that what God’s forgiveness is for?

Yes, there’s Armstrong, and there are some of his supporters. Can I get an amen?

Jaime Armstrong, for those who don’t know, has an interesting familial pedigree. While this obituary has some good info on Armstrong Senior, I’m going to just skip along to the Wikipedia entry about the Supreme Court case Papa Armstrong was a central figure in:

Mazurek v. Armstrong, 520 U.S. 968 (1997), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court upheld a Montana law permitting only licensed physicians to perform abortions.[1] The Court summarily reversed a ruling of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that had held that the law was likely intended to inhibit abortion access. In a per curiam opinion, a majority of the Court found that there was no evidence that the Montana legislature acted with an invalid intent. The Court also reiterated its earlier holding in Planned Parenthood v. Casey that the states have broad flexibility to regulate abortion so long as their regulations do not create an undue burden on a woman’s right to choose. Three dissenting justices, in an opinion by Justice John Paul Stevens, wrote that they would have declined to hear the case because proceedings were still pending in the lower courts. The law itself was later struck down by the Montana Supreme Court on state-constitutional grounds, but the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision has nonetheless had a significant impact on modern American abortion jurisprudence.

I don’t see anything to be ashamed about here, do you?

Going back to the original Kaimin article, the spin on dissing the EVANGELICALS who bother students includes another person who bugs the shit out of me, and that’s Travis McAdams with the Montana Human Rights Network.

McAdams’ role is to come in and make sure Christians are associated with WHITE SUPREMACY. Here’s McAdams doing his thing for the gullible students:

Although it may seem like indiscriminate chaos, there’s a method to the sign-waving madness. Travis McAdams works for the Montana Human Rights network. He usually researches how to combat white supremacy. The preachers aren’tin the exact same camp as white supremacists, but the two groups share some recruitment tactics. 

“They wanna create a somewhat hostile environment and try to get people passing by to engage with them and generally engage with them in negative ways. And they want that for a couple of reasons. One, it allows them to portray themselves as these victims, even though it’s based on a situation that they’ve created…. But it allows them to pretend that they’re the victims, they’re the ones under attack. And in doing. If they record it, which most of these groups will do, they record it, they post it on social media, they use it to recruit members. They use it to raise money, and so it’s not about discussion. It’s not about an open exchange of ideas…. It’s about trying to create a hostile environment to generate reactions that they can then capture on video and use for their purposes on social media,” McAdam said.  

While Tobin Shearer joins secular forces with Travis McAdams to imply street preachers should be lumped in with white supremacists because they share similar tactics, the tactics of individual predators can transform ANY church into a target-rich environment for their prowling.

Has that happened with the church Shearer attends? Does his church simply lack discernment or, worse, is the leadership too focused on the external threats of a culture war that they are willfully ignoring the very real threat of supporting a sexual predator who had a judge say THIS about him:

Armstrong’s defense and the Lewis and Clark County Attorney’s Office proposed a lighter, deferred sentence of three years of supervision and then the charges would be wiped from his record, but District Judge Christopher Abbott told Armstrong from the bench, “it’s important this conviction follow you.“

Instead, Abbott handed down a sentence of 10 years to the Department of Corrections with all incarceration suspended. Officials determined Armstrong has a low risk to re-offend, and he will not be eligible for conditional discharge from supervision for at least five years.

As part of the plea agreement, Armstrong voluntarily terminated his Montana medical license and may not seek or renew a medical license in any state during the time of supervision.

Abbott also barred Armstrong from seeking any job in health care with direct access to patients while on supervision. He is to have no contact with his two victims.

“I’m not going to send you to prison. I think that would likely cause you to withdraw your plea,” Abbot said. “I also need to be respectful of the victims, if it’s not their desire to go forward with a trial.”

Abbott said he was concerned that bringing the case to a trial would cause “great distress” to the victims “for possibly a lesser outcome than agreed to today.”

The problem with this kind of internal, in-your-own-backyard kind of threat is talking about it doesn’t get your “non-profit” more donations or your academic career another book deal.

Maybe that sounds unnecessarily cynical, but if this public posturing continues, while more immediate threats are ignored, then the supposed cultural good being sought by the Shearers’ and McAdams’ of the world will fall on deaf ears.

You know, kind of like what happens with these angry preachers you two white dudes are complaining about.

If you appreciate my content, please consider making a one-time, or reoccurring donation at my about page.

Thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

The people who keep telling you, the tax-paying public, that we better get this crisis mill levy passed OR ELSE got a reprieve from having to deal with me today thanks to a staff member at the ZACC telling me I wasn’t allowed to attend.

Why wasn’t I allowed to attend? I was told verbally by this staff member that she was
“alone”, which I took to mean the only paid staff on-hand, and because of this, she explained, she simply couldn’t handle “an incident”.

Which begs the question, why would she expect “an incident”?

One of the biggest supporters of this mill levy has turned into one of the fiercest trench-fighters on its behalf. Let’s see if you can guess who I’m talking about by me using a quote from this NBC Montana piece:

The panel went in-depth on why they believe the crisis services levy would benefit Missoula in the long run and what would happen if it isn’t approved.

“We’re going to have some tough decisions to make. We’re going to lose some great services, so I can’t say that there’s a backup plan, but some of these programs will go away,” said Susan Hay Patrick, CEO of United Way.

It’s kind of ironic I’m using an NBC Montana article, considering it was an NBC Montana reporter who confirmed what I suspected about this person’s capacity for nasty, asymmetrical attacks–like telling this reporter untrue and, dare I say, defamatory things about me.

Another BIG problem with what happened today is the fact it wasn’t just me who got denied access to an event billed as “open to the public”. I was going to have, on the phone, the sister of Sean Stevenson listening to the panel of specialists, but obviously that didn’t happen.

If you haven’t heard me reference Sean’s name before you’re probably new to this blog, so let me briefly say that Sean’s death was a major catalyst for the work I’m doing now, and the questions his family have about what REALLY happened to him persist.

As for me, while I have my suspicions about what is happening, and why, it might not be until a process of discovery begins that I’ll be able to more concretely point to the efforts to keep me and what I know from making those in positions of power and influence uncomfortable.

To make a contribution to what might become my legal fund, the donation button is at my about page.

Be safe out there, and thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

You know bridges are kicking ass in Missoula when a tunnel is being rehabbed on the fly. Zoom Town, baby!

Below is a song about bridges. Please enjoy it! For it is Friday, and the post for Sunday has already been written. Amen!

But seriously, thank you for the donations and other forms of non-monetary support. It is greatly appreciated! (donation button is at my about page)

https://player.vimeo.com/video/764832307?h=c06060e762&badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479

by Travis Mateer

If I could have asked lead attorney, Lance Jasper, one question after yesterday’s court hearing, a hearing in which the Mineral County Attorney’s Office AND Sheriff’s Office faced serious allegations, it would have been this: was it worth it, Lance?

My partner in covering alleged crime fighters took copious notes as I took brief naps and drew this very professional picture of a few of the main players, including the presiding judge, Shane Vannatta.

Unfortunately my artistic skills didn’t capture the tense drama that played out in Mineral County yesterday, where the hulk of a man you see on the right, Deputy Attorney, Wally Congdon, got reprimanded by the judge, along with the “selfless” lawyer, Lance Jasper.

I’m putting “selfless” in “yeah, right” quotes because I know, like I’m sure many in the PACKED court room know, that the Jasper family is a very influential family in Mineral County, and that influence leans heavy toward the FUNKY side of the Sheriff’s race, if you know what I mean.

The first legal fight Judge Vannatta had to parse out was the intent by Jasper to call witnesses. Wally Congdon was quite upset at this prospect, claiming his office wasn’t prepared for witnesses. Also a sore point for Wally was the fact Lance didn’t say hi to him before the hearing.

A sore point for Lance Jasper is the 200 hundred hours he has invested without the hope the poor plaintiffs he’s using will pay him. Another fun number I learned is that Jasper’s law firm, Reep, Bell and Jasper, represent over 600 law enforcement personnel across the state of Montana. It’s because of this representation the “selfless” Jasper is taking this on, because if he doesn’t, the stain on the badge will be bad, or something like that.

While I know Lance Jasper wanted the chance to get Ryan Funke’s opponent, Gretchen Webb, on the stand as a witness, I’m wondering if he was fully prepared for what he “won” when Judge Vannatta granted him the right to examine witnesses.

In the back and forth on whether witnesses could be called, Judge Vannatta’s limitation on Jasper led to just three witnesses taking the stand; reluctant County Attorney, Debra Jackson, the arrogantly dismissive Sheriff Toth, and candidate for Sheriff, Gretchen Webb.

Of the three witnesses, two had actual jobs under scrutiny by these writs, and were therefore the most articulate in blaming OTHER people for all the problems. While Debra Jackson’s deflections to her predecessor, Ellen Donohue, were somewhat understandable, considering Donohue’s sudden departure from her responsibilities as County Attorney, it’s the impressive performance by Sheriff Toth that requires the most attention.

Toth’s performance last November, as he defended his actions, or lack thereof, in the Barsotti case before County Commissioners, is NOTHING compared to yesterday’s Toth. And it’s with THIS particular witness that I wonder how prepared Lance Jasper was for the testimony that poured forth like a sewer overflowing in a deluge.

What were the most fun parts about Toth’s testimony? Let’s consult the notes.

But first, a little background.

Last June, some of the problematic Sheriff Deputies began getting ink in local media about their professional conduct and criminal backgrounds. Reading that article puts Lance Jasper’s aggressive questioning of Debra Jackson yesterday, so aggressive Wally Congdon actually objected to it, into an interesting context.

With Sheriff Toth, Jasper was much more deferential. Is that because his law firm represents so many people in law enforcement? Or is it because his family members are such big supporters of Sheriff hopeful, Ryan Funke? I don’t know, but it’s interesting to note.

Also interesting to note are some other Toth highlights, like how he ALREADY KNEW Shawn Visintin through his PI work, including criminal infractions in Idaho and Hawaii but, don’t worry, not the rape charge from Bozeman. So why did Toth retain Visintin as a Deputy once he was appointed Sheriff in 2020?

Sheriff Toth’s strategy on the stand was to overtly and, by insinuation, blame anyone else for what he’s ultimately responsible for. This strategy was on full display as Toth did damage control regarding the hiring of Deputy David Kunzelman.

For Missoula County voters, the first scapegoat should really be of interest, since Sheriff ELECT (Toth’s words), Jeremiah Petersen, was the one who allegedly referred Kunzelman to Toth as a “great guy” who should be hired as a Mineral County Sheriff Deputy, despite a little incident of stealing a law enforcement exam. As Captain of the Missoula County Detention Facility, Petersen’s referral carried a lot of weight with Toth.

Toth then threw shade at now Judge Marks, who at the time worked at the Missoula County Attorney’s Office, for “OK’ing” Kunzelman’s opportunity for rehire at the Sheriff’s Office in Missoula, implying this gave Toth some kind of additional cover for having to take accountability for his Sheriff Deputies in Mineral County.

And then there’s Ellen Donohue, who comes up over and over again for her convenient role of being previously responsible and currently absent to answer for herself regarding what’s being claimed. She was quite the scapegoat for Toth.

But the cherry for Lance Jasper was clearly the person with the least amount of power, the volunteer brought on by County Attorney, Debra Jackson, to help in a clerical capacity. This volunteer later decided to run for Sheriff, and it was HER alleged violation of CCJI (Confidential Criminal Justice Information) that appeared to be the REAL reason for this whole charade.

Did Gretchen Webb violate CCJI? No, she said on the stand, she did not. But she did, once upon a time, during a 30 plus credentialed law enforcement career, speak in a less than professional manner to a professional colleague, and for THAT she was run through the Mineral County wringer by a man who did NOT have to answer for his family’s political ties and his firm’s conflicts of interest, which undermine his original claim of being selfless in the pursuit of his claims against Mineral County.

At the beginning of this court hearing Lance Jasper and his co-counsel, Jordan Kilby, dramatically framed what was about to transpire as some sort of personal culmination for their legal careers. Kilby even mentioned her time as a prosecutor for Missoula County, stating that her departure from that position was the beginning of the road that led her to this legal showdown with Mineral County.

Was this grandstanding? Judge Vanatta seemed to imply yes, and had to remind counsel that this was a PROCESS and would not be remedied during the day’s proceedings.

So, what’s next? After 30 days Mineral County must disclose all defendants and cases affected by the problematic Sheriff Deputies, and counsel must have an attorney’s conference by December 15th. Before that date a status hearing will be held on December 7th.

But the date everyone in that courtroom was thinking about is November 8th, and if the Barsotti case is on the list of cases impacted, 30 days from now is two weeks too late.

It’s sad to see what politics can do inside a courtroom. I wonder how aware Judge Vannatta is of these dynamics, and I wonder if Lance Jasper’s family is proud of their boy and his attempted take-down of a political outsider.

If you appreciate this content (and artwork) consider making a donation at my about page.

Thanks for reading!