Sugar Coating the Councilman?
- alexisgayle
- Jun 29, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 30, 2024
An article published by the Glendive Ranger Review, authored by the "Ranger Review Staff," recently reported on Glendive councilman pleads not guilty to complaint for violation of restraining order.
Court records indicate that a plea of not guilty was entered on June 25, 2024, for a first offense of violating a protective order. Additionally, a hearing/trial has been scheduled for July 25, 2024, at 3:30 PM, presided over by Stacey Nierson.
The individual (offender) involved in this case is Jason Stuart, who holds the positions of Executive Director at the Dawson Community Economic Development Council, Vice Chair of Big Sky Rails and City Councilman (Ward 2 Representative) in Glendive. The affected party is Teresea Olson, who recently joined the Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation, is the owner of Body and Soul as well as Badlands Sustainable Resources, the First Vice President of the Glendive Chamber of Commerce and serves as a Physician Assistant at Glendive Medical Center. Olson was serving as the elected Mayor of Glendive; however, she had already resigned at the time of the petition for the temporary restraining order. At the time, Stuart was also employed at Dawson Community College.
According to public records, in a "Reminder on Motion/Response to Petitioner Opposing a New Hearing Date", Stuart contends that the statements attributed to him were taken out of context. He asserts that he has two witnesses prepared to provide statements in his defense. Stuart maintains that the conversation took place between himself and Police Chief Jeremy Swisher via phone (who is currently on paid administrative leave from the Glendive Police Department and facing three felony charges of his own on a different legal matter), and his wife was also present with him at Dawson Community College. He claims that the communication was intended to be private and was misconstrued by an eavesdropper (Olson's witness).
Testimony given under oath indicates that a witness for former Mayor Olson overheard Jason Stuart on the phone with an individual she assumed to be the Chief, and making derogatory remarks. Court documents reflect remarks as "We are going to stomp this bitch into the ground" and then went on to state, "If she wasn't a woman... ya know... she's just one of those people that needed her ass beat a long time ago." Stuart argued, in the "Reminder on Motion/Response to Petitioner Opposing a New Hearing Date" to the Courts, that "what has truely happened here, plain and simple, is that the petitioner, Teresea Olson, has used this court as a cudgel to exact personal petty vengeance upon myself as a political opponent."
Pause for thought: Is she a political opponent? And is his key witness actually going to tell the truth? And if he tells the WHOLE truth, what lies within that truth of the entirety of their conversation?
In an article published by the Montana Free Press in October, Trouble in the badlands: How Glendive’s government turned on itself, Stuart discussed a concerning comment made by an attendee during a City Council meeting, suggesting, "We should keep the Mayor and kill the Council." Stuart expressed his apprehension about the implications of this statement, particularly in the absence of a Chief. He also referenced the past incident involving his statements about former Mayor Olson. Notably, Stuart acknowledged his use of a "gendered slur" and admitted that he could have chosen different words to use. He clarified that his use of the term "stomp" was a political metaphor, indicating a desire to defeat her politically.
Summary of Fact Finding
A sworn petition for temporary order of protection and request for hearing was made by Teresea Olson at the Glendive City Court on September 13, 2023. Upon this, Judge Kerry Burman promptly recused herself, leading to the case being assigned to a sub-judge on September 13th, 2023- Judge Kelly Mantooth.
Following a hearing with witness testimonies on September 13, 2023, a temporary restraining order valid for 30 days was granted by Judge Kelly Mantooth.
Subsequently, on October 3, 2024, Jason Stuart failed to appear for the Protection Order hearing, resulting in the Judge extending the Protection Order until October 3, 2025. Notably, no communication regarding Stuart's absence was relayed to the court. The Protection Order explicitly prohibits Stuart from making threats or engaging in acts of violence against the Petitioner. Furthermore, Stuart is required to maintain a distance of 200 feet from Olson, encompassing her residence, her business on Merrill, as well as her vehicles (a white Silverado and a red Jeep).
The morning subsequent to the extension of the Protection Order, Stuart appeared at the City Court seeking a form to initiate an appeal. Jason claimed to have been unwell with Covid-19 and asserted that his wife, a nurse at Glendive Medical Center, could provide corroboration as she had cared for him during his illness, as outlined in a communication to the Court. (see above scanned document)
However, a recording of a City Council Meeting the following day revealed his absence, as both he and his wife were reported to be out of state for their honeymoon. Since, Mayor Dion has disclosed that the City of Glendive had commenced the deletion of videos from their records, purportedly in accordance with recommendations from MMIA as stipulated in their handbook upon her review. City Council meeting minutes do reflect his absence.
Official records indicate that an appeal was lodged with Judge Olivia Rieger in the District Court on November 21, 2023. Subsequently, the appeal was referred to District Judge Michael Hayworth. On December 4, 2023, an "Order Dismissing Protection Order Appeal As Untimely" was issued, citing Jason's Notice of Appeal as untimely according to the civil statute appeal process.
During the Dawson County Commissioners Meeting Agenda on May 7, 2024, under New Business, an item concerning Big Sky Rails was to be presented by Jason Stuart. Meeting Minutes confirm Jason's absence during the proceedings.
On May 21, 2024, the Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation was an item on the Dawson County Commissioners Meeting Agenda under New Business for an update and introduction of new employees. Under Old Business, the topic of Big Sky Rails with Jason Stuart was revisited from the previous meeting. The minutes indicate that Stuart apologized for his absence of the last meeting and explained why he was there. The minutes also reflect in both the attendance and the records of the minutes that Olson did not participate in the meeting.
Per the Glendive Ranger Review, reporter/witness Brenden Heidner's statement claims that once Stuart was seated at the meeting, Olson had removed herself from the room and did not return.
(see link above for full article, you may need to subscribe to view)
Again, Court records reflect that he was charged and has plead not guilty to the violation of a protection order. Hearing/Trial is scheduled for July 25, 2024 at 3:30 PM.
My Opinion:
The situation appears to be contentious due to the absence of certain crucial pieces of information being disclosed to the public. It raises ethical concerns as to why Stuart has not only removed himself from the Council, but at minimum why he is not abstaining from vote in regards to the current matters of Chief of Police Jeremy Swisher; when Chief Swisher is apparently a witness to a (inserted correction from crime/conviction) an event that resulted in a protection order and now has evolved to further court action. It is concerning the way he has not shown much of any true remorse for his actions, but rather regrettably not being more careful of his surroundings when doing so or which derogatory terms to use. He has demonstrated poor ability to control himself on social media or the news paper, and an inability to have clear judgement, possibly due to his own situation at hand.
I am not here to sway you one way or the other, but rather share the information I have in order for you to form your own thoughts and opinions based on fact finding. Facts don't lie, and when you take a good look at them it appears there is a lot of sugar coating happening in the local media to formulate a good story telling of good vs evil, rather than a factual news report. Hopefully this helps.
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