Now that the Missoulian reporter with the best name AND mustache (Seaborn Larson) is joining the retirement party for Detective Baker–the one I kicked off all the way back in July–I’d like to make another early call, one that comes from just a hunch: by this time next year expect Baker to have broken a major lead in the Jermain Charlo case as a PI working for the Charlo family.
Having recently gained an extra $100 dollar donation for my unpaid citizen journalism offered here, at Zoom Chron, for free, I rolled confidently into the gas station to purchase a hardcopy of the Missoulian for a whopping THREE DOLLARS. Some things must be preserved, like the quote below the picture.
Here’s one of the quotes I paid cash money for because it will look great in my book, especially considering it comes from a tale told by an FBI agent about our esteemed Detective:
“He’s an exceptional interviewer, he’s a very hard worker and it’s been a great run,” Shaide said.
One instance that stood out to Shaide happened about 10 years ago, when their pursuit of a high-level cocaine distributor took them to San Diego. There, they connected with local FBI agents and geared up to “hit a place.”
“We end up booting in the door, grabbing a guy and getting him into custody,” Shaide said. Federal agents were moving through home gathering evidence, “…and I remember Guy looking at me and goes, ‘Am I in a movie right now?'”
Is it good to have a Detective actively communicating his thin-grasp on reality in a moment of intensity where I’m assuming his finger was pretty close to a trigger? With other badges in western Montana, like former Sheriff of Mineral County, Mike Toth, taking their movie fantasies as far as becoming an extra on one, I’d say this might be a good thing to speak with a therapist about, which every first responder SHOULD be doing, since their leaders have become so quick to play the victim card for those in power (something I explore in fascinating detail in my book).
Here’s another red flag regarding something called “boundaries”, which I had to help others deal with in a professional capacity when I supervised staff at the Poverello Center many years ago. I bet Eran Pehan and Theresa Williams know what I’m talking about when I say this is a red flag:
Baker said he’s maintaining a bond with more than a few victims, well after the cases have been closed. He’s wanted to treat victims the way he’d want a policeman to treat his own wife or children.
“I’ve always really been eager to talk that position,” he said.
I’ll keep the rest of my insights to myself, for now. Instead, how about a GIFT? Like using the curious timing of a retirement article two days before Christmas to do something very naughty to a Christmas classic? Click the link, you won’t be disappointed.
I will add one more insight, and that’s how the public is getting less and less information, even though more and more people within government seem to get paid to disseminate information. Isn’t that weird?
Montana’s sexual and violent offender registry is undergoing major changes following a Montana Supreme Court ruling that limits what information the state can publicly share, even retroactively.
The decision affects more than 1,100 Montana sexual and violent offenders, 90 of whom are Tier 3, the highest risk offenders to the community. The order removes or reduces long-standing requirements for people convicted before newer registry laws were enacted.
Photos, convictions, and living or working restrictions are no longer publicly available in those cases, prompting concern from law enforcement and community members, such as Hannah Flocchini.
“I love that we have a beautiful community here in Billings,” she said in a recent interview.
Flocchini, herself a survivor of child sexual abuse, regularly checks the state’s sexual and violent offender registry to stay informed about who lives nearby.
“It helps me to be more aware of my surroundings. It helps me to be more cautious,” she said.
But for those like her, that awareness could be harder to maintain.
“Offenders are typically repeat offenders,” Flocchini said.
And what she finds on the registry is changing.
“This is kind of some horrifying stuff that our Supreme Court has put us through,” said Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen.
Always someone else to blame in victim-land, I guess. Who cares about local impacts?
HO, HO, HO, friends and foes, and a VERY MERRY X-MAS!
