Ok yea so I am an idiot. You have it 100 percent correct DM and that was my issue. Didn't even know that was back there. It was either inserted into the meat or touching because when I read you post this morning I check and it had run on it. So I'll fall on the sword here and say I'm a complete jackass.
In regards to leaving the smoker unattended, I left for about 20 minutes to pick up my daughter from school. I was inside but was monitoring it very closely since I was ball parking about 2-3 hours for the chicken.
(Not sure how I screwed up the "quote" format, but my response is below, duh)-Jack
My first and only real issue with my 3D was a fouled box temp probe. Drippings from pork butts had dropped on it and stuck and cooked. My temps were all over the place and I was totally at a loss. After unplugging, reprograming and finally a thorough inspection, I saw the fouled probe. Cleaned it off, moved by butt (both figuratively and literally), and all was good. Hope you've found your solution. Happy smoking!