My name is Shad Pease, former Deputy for the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office. After ten years proudly serving the members of this community with dignity and respect, I resigned in August of 2013. That resignation came on the heels of a year of disheartening and disenchanting incidents within the S.O. that culminated in my deep-seated contempt and unparalleled dislike for Sheriff Chris Hoffman, Undersheriff (then lieutenant) Steve Holton, and Sgt Loren Hochhalter. Those particular duplicitous individuals are not the subject of this editorial, however.
You may recall an article that appeared on February 07, 2014 in the Missoulian regarding a civil action being taken against me by a Mrs. Natalie Mathers. Mrs. Mathers alleged that I subjected her to a string of malignant behaviors when I arrested her on an outstanding warrant in April of 2013. The Missoulian stated that I had repeatedly kicked Mrs. Mathers, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her across a gravel lot, sprayed her with pepper spray while she was confined inside of my squad vehicle, and that I sexually assaulted her.
The Missoulian reported that they had attempted to contact me for a statement. They had not. They did, however, make contact with Chris Hoffman, who declined to comment rather than advise the reporter that the incident had already been reviewed and no disciplinary actions were being taken as a result of my conduct during the arrest. The attorney assigned to me by the state, advised me NOT to respond to the article, and NOT to speak of the facts of the case with members of the community until the case had been adjudicated. (This too, I think is an injustice, designed as it may be to prevent the disclosure of facts prior to the ‘due process of the law’. It merely allows the innocent to remain victimized for an indefinite period of time.)
To date, Mrs. Mathers’ allegations, presented as they were in the Missoulian, and coupled with Hoffman’s ineptness, have resulted in a shroud that I and my family have had to contend with for several months. The outcome has been devastating to my marriage and to my position as a respected member of this community… a position that I had worked hard to achieve.
Many of you saw this article and knew it for falsehood. Others, however, approached my spouse with questions and expressing doubts. Some of you even approached me, offering support or condemnation as you felt necessary.
This case was adjudicated on November 12, 2014 and I am now free to provide you with a final disposition and some pertinent information on this incident.
First: While wearing a uniform and acting under the authority of law, every contact that I have had with the members of this community, however minor, was recorded. Those recordings were downloaded onto the database in the S.O. and were available for review should any complaint ever occur, or a need for training, discipline, or trial take place. As such, the entire incident with Natalie Mathers was recorded.
Second: There was one witness present inside of the motel room where my initial interview with Mrs. Mathers took place. This person was also present during the initial arrest, wherein Mrs. Mathers became resistant. Upon removing Mrs. Mathers from the room, there were several witnesses present outside who watched as Mrs. Mathers spit on me repeatedly. Yes, I put Mrs. Mathers on the ground at one point using a tactic designed to control her descent. After speaking briefly with dispatchers via telephone, I assisted Mrs. Mathers to her feet. She walked to my squad vehicle under her own power, but a struggle again ensued when she refused to climb into the back seat. Witnesses were still present and no undue force was used against Mrs. Mathers. Mrs Mathers never experienced a seizure of any sort.
Third: I had not carried pepper-spray in my squad vehicle or on my person in over seven years. (The nasty stuff incapacitates me more than it does anyone else).
Fourth: I video-taped Mrs. Mathers upon arrival at the detention facility, showing both her appearance and state of mind. The video shows no injuries or evidence/symptoms of being pepper-sprayed. It does show her attempting to strike me with the vehicle’s door when the detention officer was able to talk her into exiting.
Fifth: I have not spoken with Mrs. Mathers since placing her into my vehicle on that fateful day. I didn’t even get to speak with her on Novemeber 12th when our hearing took place before the court… because Natalie Mathers did not show.
The presiding judge took the evidence into consideration and determined that the allegations made by Natalie Mathers were fictitious and unfounded. He further determined that the article presented in the Missoulian was of malicious intent. It should come as no surprise, I guess, that there were no reporters in the courtroom to hear – or share with the public – the final verdict.
Case closed.
My wife and I filed for divorce two days later.
Shad Pease
Corvallis