by Travis Mateer
Did you know posting bills on telephone poles could land you in jail? It’s true, but not for much longer if our adorable code reformers have their way and reform themselves some municipal code. From the link (emphasis mine):
Currently, a number of codes for the city of Missoula don’t have specified penalties. In the event of a violation, individuals automatically face a criminal misdemeanor.
“Types of violations that we have with the general penalty are fairly low level, most people wouldn’t think they’re crimes,” Missoula Deputy City Attorney Ryan Sudbury said.
Examples include if a property owner builds a fence too high, building without proper permitting or posting bills on telephone poles.
Earlier this month I got an email about someone who has been sitting in jail for quite some time after snapping and getting a slew of charges thrown at him, including deliberate homicide. It’s been well over a year since David Winterburn was arrested. What’s going on with his case? Good question. If I go back to jail and end up in the same pod, I’ll ask him about that Jamaican shakedown I heard he experienced before he snapped.
After checking out Winterburn’s status at the Missoula County Detention Portal I scrolled up and was surprised to see that the Sheriff’s Office favorite non-compliant sex offender, Todd Keith Spence, has been in jail since May. I guess all the work I’ve done to bring attention to this individual and his curious lack of accountability has paid off!
Since Todd Spence is such a fascinating anecdotal example of Missoula’s homeless drug culture, I’ll include all the links to the articles I’ve written over the years about this dude’s antics.
Unpacking The September 8th Assault On Montana Transportation Staff By A Homeless Sex Offender (September 11th, 2022)
My Unauthorized Window Into The Non-Charging Decisions Of Missoula County Authorities (September 29th, 2022)
AA#7-The Meth Den Clean-Up That Synchronistically Culminated With A Press Conference On Homeless Camps (April 27th, 2023)
Saving The Homeless Sex Offender From The Clark Fork River (May 4th, 2023)
Missoula County Sheriff, Jeremiah Petersen, Has Some Explaining To Do (May 11th, 2023)
If I Had The Resources To Do Actual, In Depth Investigations… (July 17th, 2023)
The Cop Who Became A Council Member Is Going To Need More Than “Side-Rails” To Deal With THIS Investigative Journalist (January 11th, 2024)
Urban Camps And A Broken Criminal Justice System Are Skipping Hand In Hand Toward Armageddon (March 22nd, 2024)
On a lighter note, the conversations I’m having about my Lego Meth Lab continue to be quite delightful. For example, check out this chat I had with a drug dealer (Pharmacist) about my vision of getting the city directly involved in meth production:
Will better drugs lead to better outcomes along Missoula’s riverfront? I can only hope so, but I’m no HOPE DEALER, so I don’t have a stash of baseless hope to rely on. Instead, I have a Ukulele and plenty of toy brick ideas to keep me busy.
If you’d like to support my unique independent journalism, Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF) is the place to do it. Any little bit helps.
Thanks for reading!