Montana public records are governed by the Montana Public Records Act. Access court filings, arrest records, and jail rosters from counties across Big Sky Country.
Former longtime Montana Probation and Parole officer Kyle Curtis Hinzman charged in Flathead County District Court with solicitation to commit distribution of dangerous drugs and official misconduct, plus later sexual abuse of children and tampering with a witness or informant. Affidavit states he directed former probationer Jane Doe to supply fentanyl to probationer Michael Odom in a September 2024 reverse sting to entrap him, describing Doe as his confidential informant; state does not typically permit probation officers to use confidential informants. (Flathead Beacon, Jun/Oct 2026)
Kemp, 32, of Fridley, Minn., found guilty by jury Sept 11 of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Investigation initiated Jan 11, 2021 in Havre; based on info from confidential source and review of public social media, law enforcement identified Kemp and Chantel Azure distributing fentanyl; confidential source conducted controlled buy Jan 13, 2021. Tried in Great Falls federal court.
Donald DuBray appealed homicide conviction; in 1997 Detective Cameron received info from a CI that DuBray committed homicide while in prison for rape. DuBray sought jury instruction on informant testimony (money/escape punishment/personal advantage) and disclosure of CI identity; district court refused; Montana Supreme Court found cautionary instruction given and no disclosure required since CI did not testify. Cites State v. Grimes (1999 MT 145) on jailhouse informants. (Statewide; informant principles applied in Montana courts.)
Gallatin County press release: Christopher Wardle sentenced to four years in the Department of Corrections, with two years suspended, following a felony conviction.
Flathead County court records reported by Daily Inter Lake: David James Hawks, 62, pleaded not guilty to felony assault with a weapon after allegedly pointing a shotgun at a neighbor on Trumbull Canyon Road on 09/29/2026; arraigned 10/29/2026 before Judge Paul Sullivan.
Court records and a 1985 LA Times report describe James Dean Cochrum, an Orange County Jail inmate who informed on at least five fellow inmates, including Adolpho Aguirre and Elliott Beal, claiming to overhear confessions in separate murder cases. Jail informants testified in more than 100 major Orange County cases over five years.
California Supreme Court affirmed Christopher Towler's second-degree murder conviction for killing Ron Stone, a police drug informant who introduced undercover Sacramento narcotics agents to Towler. Towler repeatedly called Stone a 'snitch' and threatened to kill him before Stone's disappearance in January 1978.
Davien Montgomery, a Harris County Constable Precinct 4 deputy, was arrested during an undercover prostitution sting in northeast Houston after allegedly soliciting oral sex from an undercover officer for $50 and agreeing to meet at a motel. Court records show a magistrate found probable cause; charge pending.
Alexander Kristopher Cowley, an 11-year Harris County Sheriff's Office Critical Incident Response Team deputy, was arrested on a warrant signed Oct. 28, 2026, and charged with continuous sex abuse of a child. Records allege he assaulted a family member from 2016 to 2024 and coached the victim to deny abuse; $500,000 bond.
Renisha Wilkins, 35, and Sarah Anderson, 31, former Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector auto title clerks, were arrested for allegedly overriding system requirements to fraudulently process vehicle registrations without proof of insurance/inspection in exchange for bribes from title-service owners Adriana De La Rosa and Oswaldo Perez. Wilkins processed 96 fraudulent transactions.
Samuel Everrett Williams II, on parole until 2032 for a prior bank robbery, allegedly entered a PNC Bank in northwest Harris County on Oct. 23, 2026, demanded cash and threatened to shoot employees. Traced via surveillance to a Hockley home and arrested Oct. 28; charged with robbery by threat (2nd-degree felony).
Cameron Gaines, 31, was arrested and booked into Tarrant County Jail (later released on bond) for a misdemeanor indecent exposure charge after allegedly exposing himself and making obscene gestures during a rideshare trip on Sept. 28 near La Gran Plaza in south Fort Worth, per Tarrant County court records.
EJ Carrion, 36, was booked into Tarrant County Jail and released same day after being charged with disrupting a meeting (Class B misdemeanor) following removal from a Tarrant County Commissioners Court session; he also faced a Fort Worth City Council meeting removal. Charged under Texas Penal Code disrupting a lawful meeting.
Lon Burnam was carried out of a Tarrant County Commissioners Court meeting and charged with hindering proceedings by disorderly conduct (Class A misdemeanor) and disrupting a meeting (Class B misdemeanor), released on personal recognizance bond the same day per Tarrant County District Attorney filings.
Bruce Edwin Brown, 2011 Bandera Rd, San Antonio, was booked into Bexar County Jail July 28, 2026 (case 2026PF30977, Criminal District Court) charged with evading arrest/detention with previous conviction; offense date July 27, 2026, per Bexar County Sheriff jail activity report.
Andrew Leroy Ray Sears, 2018 E Drexel Ave, San Antonio, booked July 28, 2026 (case 2026CC006663, County Court-at-Law 6) charged with evading arrest detention; offense date April 4, 2026; $1,500 licensed surety bond, per Bexar County Sheriff jail activity report.
Martin Thomas Alvarado Jr, homeless, San Antonio, booked July 28, 2026 (case 2026PF31014, County Court-at-Law 6) charged with failure to identify fugitive from justice (refused to give info); $1,000 personal recognizance bond, per Bexar County Sheriff jail activity report.
Federal court order granting sanctions against the Government for untimely and/or undisclosed Giglio information in a D. Montana criminal case, including audio recordings of interviews with cooperating, informant, and confidential sources; trial continued to allow disclosure. Judge Brian Morris, Sept. 18, 2026.
Montana Supreme Court decision (Sept. 9, 2025) affirming denial of postconviction relief; defendant alleged improper use of information by incarcerated (jailhouse) informants and prosecutorial misconduct. Missoula County Fourth Judicial District.
John Lewton, a Montana resident, sentenced Oct. 20 in federal court after pleading guilty to violating the Lacey Act involving trafficking of wildlife; fined $20,000, one year probation. (The Electric, Nov 2, 2026)
Kylie Lynn Minardi, 24, sentenced Oct. 14 to five years two months in prison plus four years supervised release for distributing fentanyl and conspiracy. (The Electric, Oct 15, 2026)