by Travis Mateer

I was a little shocked this morning to see a Missoulian article about the LifeGuard Group, a “non-profit” run by the Chaplain of the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, Lowell Hochhalter. Does this mean the dam of narrative control is finally breaking on this joke of an organization?

Before I get to all MY coverage, which is prolific, let’s see what the Missoulian is up to with THEIR sudden interest in this alleged effort to help victims of human trafficking. From the link (emphasis mine):

Montana government emails suggest an anti-human trafficking nonprofit that works closely with the state’s top officials has demonstrated poor practices when working with survivors at the organization’s residential safe house in western Montana.

The emails, most of which were secured by the Missoulian via a public records request, detail concerns about operations at the LifeGuard Group, a Missoula-based nonprofit that has partnered with Gov. Greg Gianforte and Attorney General Austin Knudsen.

Financial records show the LifeGuard Group received more than $500,000 from the Gianforte Family Foundation and is tied to local law enforcement agencies. The group assists with search efforts, oversees a safe house in the Bitterroot Valley and runs Montana’s human trafficking hotline.

It’s important to note that it took a PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST for the Missoulian to substantiate what I’ve known, and have been writing about, for quite some time. Thanks to that request we now have a scrap of narrative that puts this shit-show into better focus:

In an August 2023 email, Montana Department of Justice Agent Andrew Yedinak informed colleagues that he had “received a concerning call” from an organization in Missoula. Yedinak detailed a “traumatic experience” that allegedly unfolded after a survivor and her daughter arrived at the organization’s safe house, known as the LifeHouse at Crooked Tree Ranch.

The survivor contacted the LifeGuard Group, met them at the Missoula airport and was taken to the LifeHouse, according to the email.

“Once at their ranch, the S [survivor] claims that she was told that they [the Lifeguard Group] needed to conduct a strip search of her and her daughter as well as a cavity search of their pelvic regions which would be conducted by Tami Hochhalter,” Yedinak wrote. “The S advised she resisted from these requests and eventually was able to get her daughter and leave the property.”

Was conducting a strip search really necessary? No, this is probably not a shining example of “best practices” when it comes to working with this vulnerable population, which kind of makes you wonder about Lowell and Tami’s law enforcement pals, like Detective Guy Baker.

What else did the Missoulian uncover with their records request? Here’s more (emphasis mine):

In a separate email from November 2023, Yedinak discussed the LifeGuard Group again with an individual who appears to have raised issues about the organization.

“At this point things with the LGG [Lifeguard Group] are still at just an admin level as far as determining our partnership, or lack thereof, with them,” Yedinak wrote. “Nothing we have been told substantiates criminal behavior but certainly inappropriate practices.”

Emilee Cantrell, a spokesperson for the Montana DOJ, would not elaborate on what “inappropriate practices” entail. She also reiterated what Yedinak said regarding the status of the case.

Don’t worry, Emilee, let ME elaborate, because I have a pretty good idea of at least ONE inappropriate practice, and that’s Lowell’s tendency to share confidential criminal justice information, something that COULD be criminally prosecuted, since disseminating this kind of information is a violation of Montana Code Annotated.

Emilee Cantrell continues shoveling out DOJ bullshit by making this claim (emphasis mine):

“The allegations we are aware of and looked into were not criminal and could not be corroborated,” Cantrell wrote in an email. “There was never a formal investigation by the Department of Justice. If there are criminal allegations that we are unaware of being made, those need to be reported to local law enforcement as the Department of Justice cannot initiate criminal investigations.”

If you think Austin Knudsen’s DOJ is capable of policing itself when it’s so deeply enmeshed in this shit-show, I have a bridge in Missoula to sell you.

Here’s one more challenge the Missoulian faced writing this article: the Hocchalter’s don’t just hide, they BLOCK anyone from even seeing their empty claims when the illusion of their fucked up savior model is challenged.

The Missoulian attempted several times via email and phone to reach the Hochhalters. As of Wednesday, they had not responded to interview requests. A Missoulian reporter was blocked from viewing the LifeGuard Group’s Facebook page shortly after the first email request.

Here’s some other people the Missoulian should consider contacting, since ALL THESE PEOPLE knew about serious allegations against the Hocchalter’s, and did nothing: former Sheriff, T.J. McDermott, soon-to-be former County Attorney, Kirsten Pabst, City Councilor Gwen Jones, and non-profit influencer, Susan Hay Patrick.

While I am trying to appreciate the Missoulian publishing this article, I can’t help think the timing is VERY political, and will therefore be SEEN as political by the public. The risk of that happening is serious because it would allow people to put their partisan blinders on, which means half the public would be inclined to take these claims LESS seriously.

When you consider all that I have written about the LifeGuard Group since they came on my radar in 2021 with the disappearance of Rebecca Barsotti, you will see this is MUCH BIGGER than mere politics. So, without further ado, here’s my coverage:

Missing In Montana And My Cynicism On The Narrative Framing (November 17th, 2021)

What The Hell Is Going On With The Rebekah Barsotti Missing Persons Case? (December 7th, 2021)

Who Are These “Life Guards” And How Will They Work With Town Pump To Combat Human Trafficking? (February 2nd, 2022)

Web-Sleuthing This Travis Mateer Guy To Conspiracy Smear His Journalism (February 8th, 2022)

Local Help Doesn’t Require National Organizations And Conferences (February 13th, 2022)

In An Ocean Of Trauma, Life Guards Must Be Better Than Well Intentioned, Or Else They Risk Paving A Serious Path Toward Hell (February 17th, 2022)

Does Chaplain/LifeGuard Group CEO/Dad, Lowell Hochhalter, Need A Hatrack For All His Hats? (March 13th, 2022)

What Can The Jermain Charlo Missing Person Case Tell Us About The Effort To Find Rebekah Barsotti? (April 10th, 2022)

Coming To Terms With The Power Of Things NOT Happening (April 18th, 2022)

What Employing “Returning Citizens” In San Francisco Can Teach Eager Savior Types In Zoom Town (April 20th, 2022)

Welcoming Traffickers To Montana (April 25th, 2022)

If Missoula County Sheriff Chaplain, Lowell Hochhalter, Is Having Some Kind Of Professional Freak Out, How Can He Help The Sheriff Deputies Terrified Of Homeless Camps And Ominous RVs? (May 1st, 2022)

My Invitation To The Department Of Justice To Return To Missoula To Investigate The Sheriff’s Department And A Call For National Coverage! (May 8th, 2022)

Oblivious Candidate Michael Burks And The Monumental Failure Of Public Protectors And Non-Profit Helpers (May 29th, 2022)

Putting Non-Profit And Political Enablers On Notice: Think It’s Hot Now? Just You Wait… (July 19th, 2022)

LifeGuard Group’s Lowell Hochhalter Activates His Beer Truck Army Against Traffickers (September 15th, 2022)

The Fireside Chat Montana’s Governor Held That No Other Media Will Tell You About…Because They Didn’t Know It Was Happening…At Fairmont (October 5th, 2022)

Why The LifeGuard Group’s Live Action Role Play (LARP) Is A Force You Don’t Want To Mess With (January 1st, 2023)

What A Little 990 Scrutiny Can Show About Missoula’s Pretend Anti-Trafficking Organization, The LifeGuard Group (January 17th, 2023)

On Snakes And Pussies (February 1st, 2023)

The Politics Of Human Trafficking Should Make Wannabe Senators In Montana Very Nervous (March 8th, 2023)

The Danger Of The Christian Savior Complex (March 17th, 2023)

While I Track TIF (SB 523), Those LifeGuards Track The Traffick (HB 112) (April 7th, 2023)

Why Are These Montana LifeGuards, Fighting Human Trafficking, So Quiet? (May 11th, 2023)

Hey, GUYS And Gals, Won’t You Please Dream A Little Dream With Me? (September 11th, 2023)

Is Montana Making A Mistake By Trusting These Christian LifeGuards To Help Victims Of Human Trafficking? (December 8th, 2023)

Why Doesn’t The LifeGuard Group Search For White Women? (January 4th, 2024)

Yes, I’ve written AT LEAST 27 articles that somehow involve the LifeGuard Group, and the personal impact on my life has been rather severe, so the Missoulian better not be doing JUST a political hit piece for our current election cycle, because I simply won’t let them get away with it if that’s the motivation here.

Also, I’ll point out this article posted on a FRIDAY, so that’s one red flag right there. Will there be more? And will there be more RATS jumping ship, like County Attorney Pabst?

Stay tuned HERE (not the Missoulian) for further developments because longtime Zoom Chron readers knew TWO FUCKING YEARS AGO that Lowell and his family were a joke.

If you appreciate what fearless local journalism can STILL DO, how about throwing me a monetary bone? It’s been 16 days since the last kind soul kicked me some money for doing the work I graciously offer readers here FOR FREE, which is NOT a sustainable business model.

Thanks for reading! And, for some of you, get ready to receive an I TOLD YOU SO email in your inbox.