I was biking over the Higgins Bridge earlier today when I noticed a visible pile of trash located on the property owned by Cole Bergquist and “new” investor, Hawkins Development, a Boise-based development group that Bergquist had to negotiate with Department of Justice in order to bring on to this massive condo project on prime real estate in the heart of downtown Missoula.
Hawkins, a Boise-based development group, is partnering with Bergquist on the project after he removed former business partners Aaron and Jadon Wagner from the deal. Last year, Aaron Wagner was indicted by a federal grand jury on felony counts of wire fraud and money laundering and pleaded not guilty in May, the Missoulian reported. Bergquist said he negotiated with the Department of Justice, multiple banks and investors to switch the project’s partners.
“It was a super heavy lift, and something my team has really been celebrating,” he said. “Finding new partners, bringing them in and getting the buyout approved is really breathing new life into this project.”
Do I share Bergquist’s excitement? No, unlike our local law enforcement, I don’t benefit from this property the way they do, which was evident when I saw about a half dozen cops standing around “training”.
Missoula law enforcement have been regularly using this private property for training purposes after its interior became a transient flophouse they had to clear out, something that’s gone unreported by local legacy media.
When I did a little garbology in the pile of trash visible from the bridge, what I found seemed like the kind of stuff law enforcement might be curious about. Turns out, I was wrong.
I put a piece of paper over the face of the young girl wrapped in a blue towel, so you will have to take my word that she appeared to be no older than 10 or 11 years old. The context of drinking and gambling gave me the distinct impression that I should let professionals assess what this material could be.
This picture includes some faces of men I did NOT cover with paper because they have nothing to worry about, apparently. The professional assessment from the cop at the police station, who I gave this “scrapbook” to, told me there was nothing to worry about, it wasn’t CP. Thank goodness!
Did the cop at the station want to know where I found this? No. Did he want to know my name? No, though he said I could write down my name if I wanted to. Instead I suggested he read my blog, where I told him I would be writing about this, including publishing the pictures I had documented. He couldn’t have cared less.
After getting brushed off by cops, I talked to someone in the art community who had been in this area recently and, after a ball rolled under a hedge, they found a Dell computer tower hidden in the bushes. A computer tower? No, that isn’t shady at all.
Thankfully, the artist did the considerate thing and decided NOT to pester local law enforcement with the possibility of finding something criminal on Cole Bergquist’s private property. Maybe I should learn to do the same.
Thanks for reading!
I hope they checked that hard drive