The Erosion of Justice in Cascade County
Op-Ed By Jesse Wagner
Read the full article: A Pattern of Deception by Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter
The thin veneer of “constitutional” leadership in Cascade County is peeling away to reveal a record defined by sworn falsehoods, staggering taxpayer-funded settlements, and a systemic failure to uphold the rule of law. While Sheriff Jesse Slaughter publicly champions himself as a “constitutional sheriff,” the official record suggests a pattern of behavior that directly undermines the U.S. and Montana Constitutions.
The clearest evidence of this disconnect emerged during a June 2024 coroner’s inquest into the death of Michael Hansen. Under oath, Sheriff Slaughter testified there was “absolutely no unlawful activity” by his office, yet Montana statute tells a different story. Montana Code Annotated § 46-5-227 explicitly requires officers to exhibit an original search warrant to occupants upon request. During the encounter, Detective Jacob Try—who later received a national award based on a nomination filled with inaccuracies—refused Hansen’s repeated demands to see a warrant, ordered him off his own property, and jumped the fence without presenting any paperwork.
