When I added the question about the Mineral County Courthouse being bugged in this post, which asks several questions of former Mineral County Attorney, Ellen Donohue, it was because I had come to the realization that it’s common knowledge among those who work inside this courthouse that something is facilitating remote listening, and that something very well could be the cameras themselves.
Before I get to the excerpts of a Missoulian article about Verkada cameras, I will note that my background sources on this story include a former County employee involved in cyber security for a County facility, a lawyer put into an awkward situation by another lawyer, and a citizen who has helped me understand dynamics of the County next door, in Mineral.
Because of these background sources, and because of my own legal constraints, I will be very cautious with how I explain the reasoning behind sending this email inquiry to the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, and why the unsolicited response from County Commissioner, Dave Strohmaier, has me scratching my head.
Dave Strohmaier should know that the types of circumstances he’s referencing are the type of circumstances that first put the law firm, Reep, Bell & Jasper, on my radar, so the fact it’s a different law firm now and, from my experience, MUCH LESS PROFESSIONAL, should make a politician like Dave, named in my OWN legal restrictions, very cautious about how HE should be proceeding.
IF the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office, under Ryan Funke, has audio-capable cameras in the Mineral County Courthouse, then I believe it’s VERY possible that both Lance Jasper and Paul Leisher have access to what is recorded by those audio-capable VERKADA cameras, which have apparently been in use around MISSOULA County for some time:
The spokesperson for the Mayor’s office, Ginny Merriam, is later quoted in this article specifically claiming that AUDIO is not being taken by these cameras. But that doesn’t mean other jurisdictions aren’t as savvy about the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as it appears Ginny Merriam is:
While Ginny Merriam seems to understand that recording should be video-only and restricted to being reviewed by security personnel (if they can be trusted), another jurisdiction found this capacity a part of the court proceeding (PDF):
I don’t live in Indiana, I live in Montana, but ALL states should have respect for the guiding documents of our nation, like the Constitution, because, if we don’t, then we don’t have a country capable of dispensing anything close to justice for its citizens, and that makes citizens VERY unsatisfied with their local democracy.
Returning to the Missoulian article, what organization is referenced by our paper of record as representative of the “resistance” to this latest example of the police-state-creep into our lives?
Sorry, but if “Missoula Resists” is any indication of where the “non-partisan” opposition is coming from, then regular citizens are FUCKED!
Um, no, I won’t be joining a SIGNAL group because some of us are too busy fighting for our literal freedom with only a handful of diligent and MUCH APPRECIATED supporters to help us out behind the scenes.
Before I wrap up today’s post, there’s one more article I’d like to highlight, and that’s some additional reporting by Hannah Shields on the case of the missing Sheriff vehicles:
A Kansas-based company that has yet to deliver three patrol vehicles to Mineral County is facing allegations of business fraud in multiple states.
ESU Pursuits, LLC, a government vehicle supplier, is the target of at least two lawsuits filed this year in Kansas and Missouri for claims of unfulfilled orders and unpaid invoices for vendor services, according to court documents.
Mineral County Attorney Debra Jackson launched her own investigation this summer after the company failed to deliver three of six patrol vehicles ordered by Mineral County Sheriff Ryan Funke on June 5, 2025.
The article goes into more detail about the background of this case without, of course, mentioning the bizarre behavior of Lance Jasper (that’s my job!), but it’s where the remaining money will be going that I think is relevant to today’s post about the courthouse:
Commissioners voted May 22, 2025, to authorize Funke spending $353,688 to purchase six fully outfitted Dodge Durangos from ESU Pursuits. Funke said several vehicles in the fleet were nearing 100,000 miles, and that the dealer from ESU Pursuits gave him until June 8, 2025, to decide.
“He said he can build six cars in six days,” Funke said at the meeting.
The money was loaned from a $2.9 million federal grant, called the Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund, that the county received during the pandemic. The fund has about $2.5 million remaining, according to Mineral County Clerk and Recorder Kelann McLees.
These funds are intended to help reconstruct the 106-year-old Mineral County Courthouse, including replacing the detention center’s roof and HVAC system and renovating the courthouse’s entryway.
There’s nothing left to say that a Captain Picard meme can’t say better.
Thanks for reading!