Montana

Man with Utah ties wanted in 2011 Michigan homicide arrested in Montana

Published

1 year ago

June 29, 2023

Man with Utah ties wanted in 2011 Michigan homicide arrested in Montana

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SALT LAKE CITY — A man wanted in connection with a homicide in Michigan 12 years ago who had last been seen about a month ago in Utah has now been arrested in Montana.

Chadwick Shane Mobley, 42, was arrested Wednesday in Libby, Montana, which is in the northwestern part of the state, near the Idaho border, about 90 minutes away from Sandpoint.

Montana’s Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook Wednesday that “Chadwick Shane Mobley is in custody here in Libby based upon a tip from some smart, local (Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Facebook) followers.”

Mobley was recently charged in Michigan with first-degree premeditated murder after DNA collected in Utah matched with previously unknown DNA collected in Michigan. Additionally, the gun possibly used in the Michigan killing may have been recovered in Utah, according to court documents.

In 2011, Andrea Eilber, 20, was found shot to death in Lapeer County, Michigan, in an area about 30 minutes outside of Flint. Kenneth Grondin, then 19, Eilber’s boyfriend, was arrested and charged with murder.

Grondin was convicted in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But in 2018, he “was granted an appeal based on faulty language on the jury verdict instruction form. He was subsequently released from prison and a new trial was ordered,” according to court documents.

A cigarette butt found at the crime scene was one of the pieces of evidence that Michigan police collected, but investigators were never able to match the DNA collected from the cigarette to any of the people believed to be involved with Eilber’s murder.

Last year, the cigarette butt was tested by a private lab in Texas specializing in genetic genealogy. In January, the familial genealogy test results linked the DNA to a man living in Utah, according to the search warrant affidavit. At the time, Mobley was listed as living in Brigham City. Michigan police further learned that Mobley had lived in Auburn Hills in 2011, about 40 miles away from Lapeer, and was employed in Pontiac.

The Utah Department of Public Safety was contacted and investigators held surveillance on Mobley for two months. According to a recently unsealed second search warrant affidavit, on June 6, Utah authorities collected six buccal swabs from Mobley and immediately shipped them to the Michigan State Police Forensic Laboratory in Grand Rapids to be compared to DNA from the cigarette butt.

The next day, “the Michigan State Police lab published a lab report confirming the (unknown DNA) profile and the profile obtained from Chadwick Mobley matched,” the affidavit states.

While collecting buccal swabs from Mobley, authorities in Utah also found a “.38-caliber Colt revolver model SA Army” in Mobley’s car and served a warrant to have that seized, along with any other potential evidence linked to the Michigan homicide, according to the affidavit. That gun was also sent to the crime lab in Michigan.

According to the affidavit, “a visual examination of the firearm was conducted by the forensic scientist, and determined that a match occurred between the firearm from Chadwick Mobley and the fired bullet recovered from Andrea Eilber’s skull,” according to the affidavit. It does not indicate whether a full ballistics test was conducted.

After the DNA was collected, Mobley allegedly fled the area. On June 13, the Utah Department of Public Safety made a request to the public to be on the lookout for Mobley, who was last seen on June 7 in the Corrine area. The search for Mobley was ongoing until his arrest Wednesday.

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Pat Reavy is a longtime police and courts reporter. He joined the KSL.com team in 2021, after many years of reporting at the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio before that.

New Montana law requires government boards to record public meetings

Published

5 hours ago

July 3, 2024

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New Montana law requires government boards to record public meetings

A new law went into effect on July 1, requiring government boards to record public meetings by video or audio.

The goal is to encourage public participation and provide greater transparency.

House Bill 890 drew some opposition at the state legislature last year, but it looks like boards around Montana have found reasonably priced equipment and are ready to post those meetings online.

Some boards such as the Yellowstone County Commission have already been posting recordings of regular meetings and discussions.

“It’s a right for everybody to be able to see what happened,” said Commissioner Don Jones, R- Yellowstone County. “And you know what we were talking about and our thought process.”

Jones supports the idea of HB 890 which states in its title that it provides for increased transparency and accountability.

“Our constitution has made it very clear that the Sunshine Laws need to be there to let the public have that opportunity, see what we’re doing,” Jones said.

The Montana Association of Counties (MACO) wanted the requirement to be optional.

“We want to follow the law,” said Commissioner Ross Butcher, Fergus County. “We want to do it appropriately. But when it’s ambiguous, that’s difficult.

Butcher is the MACO president and says it’s not clear what constitutes a meeting.

As chair in Fergus County, he says commissioners have figured out what meetings to record.

“I do think it’s easy enough to just look at it and say, listen, any meeting that you’re going to agenda-dize and follow the steps of an open meeting, then you probably should record it,” Butcher said.

The law applies to the Board of Investments, the public employees retirement board, teachers retirement board, the board of Regents, county commissions, city councils, school boards and county boards of health.

“Concern about the level of distrust and the lack of civility in our public discourse, first off,” said Rep. Brad Barker, R-Carbon County. “Second thing is it supports Montana’s constitutional right to know. And the third is we have the technological means.”

The Canyon Creek school board and the County Water Board of Billings Heights board are among those ready to record meetings.

“I don’t think any of us have a problem with transparency,” Butcher said. “I think it’s a good thing.”

“It should be beneficial if people want to get engaged and I encourage everybody to get engaged in their local government,” Jones said.

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Montana

Montana tribes seek to join court case over EPA water rights rule

Published

12 hours ago

July 2, 2024

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The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes joined six other tribes in defense of a new federal rule protecting their water rights in court.

The rule requires states to consider tribes’ fishing, hunting and gathering rights while crafting water regulations.

Twelve states sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over the rule, which was finalized earlier this year.

Montana is not part of the lawsuit. Those states argue the federal government oversteps its power under the Clean Water Act and would severely limit their ability to craft water standards.

Seven tribes have filed a motion to intervene in the case. They say the rule is key to protecting “reserved rights,” which gives tribes the ability to hunt, fish and gather on lands they ceded to the federal government through treaties.

The tribes say the rule is within the EPA’s authority as it ensures treaties are adhered to.

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Crews on Montana Creek Fire #312 continue to cut fire line and mop up in thick spruce timber

Published

19 hours ago

July 2, 2024

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Home › Active Wildland Fire › Crews on Montana Creek Fire #312 continue to cut fire line and mop up in thick spruce timber

By 2024montanacreek on July 2, 2024

Fire crews provide initial attack overnight to protect a structure.

TALKEETNA, Alaska-The Montana Creek Fire (#312) is located 16 miles south of Talkeetna and was reported on June 29th. Overnight, crews responded to a new grass fire near the origin. The fire remains 40% contained, with moderate fire activity primarily creeping and smoldering in timber. The fire is located in a critical Protection Area prompting multi-agency resource response. Ninety-six personnel are assigned to the incident including resources from BIA, BLM, State and USFS. Three crews, one fire use module, 1 engine, 2 water tenders, 3 Division Supervisors and one EMT.

Aerial View of the retardant line on the eastern edge of the Montana Creek Fire. Photo: DOF PIO Remote Pilot Kale Casey

Aerial View of the 172 Acre Montana Creek Fire on July 1. Photo: DOF PIO Remote Pilot Kale Casey

Fire crews continue to secure the perimeter and mop up will begin where conditions allow. Investigators determined this to be a human caused fire. With the upcoming 4th of July holiday, the public is reminded that discharging fireworks in Forested lands is illegal.

Due to the fire activity seen within the fire area residents along the Leroy Davie Road and Montana Creek Road corridors were moved to a SET (Alert Status). However, an evacuation order has not been issued at this time. There has been confirmation that one outbuilding has been lost to the fire.

The Parks Highway remains open. The public traveling on the Parks Highway may continue to be impacted by smoke and a large contingency of ground resources assisting in fire suppression efforts between mile markers 94-100. The public is encouraged to stay attentive and slow down near the fire area as crews continue suppression efforts throughout the day.

In addition to ground travel, there has been a temporary flight restriction put in place to provide clear air space to aviation assets assisting on the fire. For more information on the TFR, please visit: https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_4_5688.html