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Far-right Montana pastor hit with multiple charges after 'slurring and stumbling' during traffic stop
May 17, 2022
Controversial Sidney Pastor Jordan Hall has pleaded not guilty to DUI and weapons charges arising from a May 11 traffic stop.
Hall, 40, was arrested in Sidney around 11 p.m. on May 11, and, according to a complaint, he was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs, carrying a concealed weapon while under the influence of drugs, and multiple traffic violations — all misdemeanors. He was issued a $585 fine.
The Sidney Herald first reported the news of Hall’s arrest.
Hall pleaded not guilty to the charges on May 12 and has an omnibus hearing scheduled for July 19th.
According to the complaint, Hall was “moving/speaking slowly, his eyes were lowering slowly and deliberately, he had slurred/mumbled speech at times, his eyes were watery, he stumbled and had poor balance.” Hall was also given a field sobriety test and performed poorly, but a blood alcohol test did not register any alcohol in his system, according to the complaint.
On Monday, Hall denied that he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol and told the Daily Montanan the symptoms noticed by police were caused by a lack of vitamin D.
“They found no alcohol in my system because I was not using alcohol or any other kind of illegal narcotic or recreational drug,” Hall said. “I was experiencing a known and medically documented severe vitamin D deficiency.” Hall declined to provide medical records regarding the condition but directed the Daily Montanan to a blog post he had written roughly one month earlier that referenced a vitamin deficiency.
As a result of the charges, Hall submitted his resignation as pastor of First Baptist Church in Sidney, but the resignation was denied, according to a statement from the church.
“The deacons and elders met yesterday and rejected his resignation in consultation with three well-respected and Godly pastors of other churches, as it was unanimously determined that, as no alcohol was used and Pastor Hall’s coordination/health issues have been well known, this unfortunate incident was not ministerially disqualifying,” the statement read.
It continued, “The council determined Pastor Hall was exhausted, potentially addicted to working, and must rest, do nothing for three months, and change his phone number (to not be bothered by outsiders).”
The complaint says Hall was driving a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu on East Holly Street when he crossed into the bicycle lane on West Holly Street initiating the stop. During the arrest, police found a Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Shield handgun under his coat in an inside-the-waistband holster on Hall’s right side.
Hall is also the founder and publisher of the Montana Daily Gazette. Hall and his publishing group are currently being sued by Adrian Jawort, a transgender Native lobbyist who alleges that an article about her in the Montana Daily Gazette damaged her reputation. Hall also filed for bankruptcy in February, just 24 hours before a sanctions hearing in his lawsuit with Jawort.
Daily Montanan is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Daily Montanan maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Darrell Ehrlick for questions: info@dailymontanan.com. Follow Daily Montanan on Facebook and Twitter.
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The US State Department announced a new unit Tuesday to research, document and publicize alleged war crimes by Russia in Ukraine.
The Conflict Observatory will "capture, analyze, and make widely available evidence of Russia-perpetrated war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine," the department said.
The Observatory will collect publicly and commercially available information, including what is seen on social media and commercial satellite imagery, for use in current and future civil and criminal legal processes.
Nearly three months after Russia invaded Ukraine, Kyiv says it has identified thousands of suspected war crimes cases.
Most notorious have been the allegations of wanton murder of scores of civilians in Bucha, just outside Kyiv.
The Observatory will create an online platform "to help refute Russia’s disinformation efforts and shine a light on abuses," the department said.
The Observatory will be a joint effort by the department; Esri, a mapping software company; Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab; the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, and PlanetScape Ai, which combines artificial intelligence-based analysis with satellite imagery and other data.
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DOJ sues disgraced pro-Trump casino magnate to register as Chinese foreign agent: report
May 17, 2022
On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced a lawsuit against billionaire former casino magnate and pro-Trump Republican megadonor Steve Wynn, to compel him to register as an agent of the Chinese government under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
"Defendant is obligated to file these materials by virtue of his acting as an agent of two foreign principals: Sun Lijun ('Sun'), the former Vice Minister for Public Security in the People’s Republic of China ('PRC'), and the PRC itself," said the Justice Department's filing.
"Specifically, at the request of Sun, and on behalf of the PRC, the Defendant conveyed to former President Donald J. Trump and his Administration ('the Trump Administration') the PRC’s request to remove from the country a PRC national who had sought political asylum in the United States," the filing continued. "In so doing, from at least June 2017 through at least Case 1:22-cv-01372 Document 1 Filed 05/17/22 Page 1 of 13 2 August 2017, the Defendant acted as an agent for foreign principals Sun and the PRC and engaged in political activities on their behalf in the United States."
IN OTHER NEWS: Irate Santa Barbara woman goes viral after demanding Black man do some 'African American fishing'
The Foreign Agents Registration Act is a law that requires people lobbying and doing political work on behalf of a foreign government to disclose their activities to the U.S. government.
DOJ is suing Steve Wynn, former RNC finance chair and Trump ally, to register as a foreign agent of China for a period in 2017. https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1506786/download?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/ta6os609no— Kyle Cheney (@Kyle Cheney) 1652822116
Wynn, a prominent GOP megadonor who previously ran a casino empire in Las Vegas and served as the finance director of the Republican National Committee, stepped back from public life after explosive allegations that he paid out $7.5 million to a woman to silence a rape accusation.
Despite this, the Republican Party accepted a $400,000 contribution from Wynn even after these allegations became public.
(Disclaimer: the author of this article works in the casino gaming industry.)
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