Montana Man Sentenced for Near Death of Child Who Ingested Drugs

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - After the near death of a toddler who ingested methamphetamine and fentanyl, a Great Falls man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison, according to Montana’s U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich.

31-year-old Shacotta Keenan St. Onge pleaded guilty in June 2023 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

In court documents, the government alleged that the Russell Country Drug Task Force received information in the fall of 2022, that St. Onge was distributing drugs in the Great Falls area. Law Enforcement obtained meth and fentanyl pills from St. Onge in controlled buys and in February 2023, officers executed a search warrant on St. Onge’s residence and recovered fentanyl pills and meth. In April 2023, St. Onge sold fentanyl to the mother of a two-year-old girl. The pills were scattered about the mother’s residence, and the child ingested a pill, leading to her hospitalization and near death.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

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Man Sentenced to Prison after Near Death of Child after Ingesting Meth and Fentanyl

In Billings federal court, a Lame Deer man who admitted to distributing methamphetamine on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation that he received through a large-scale narcotics trafficking organization based on the Crow Indian Reservation was sentenced this week to 20 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, according to Montana’s U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich.

A Lame Deer Man gets 20 Years for Large Scale Narcotics Trafficking

49 year-old Joseph John Simpson pleaded guilty in September 2023 to possession with intent to distribute meth.

“Armed with multiple firearms, including a submachine gun, Simpson was a prolific and dangerous drug dealer who trafficked nearly 10 pounds of meth on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. He was considered the best customer of an extensive drug conspiracy based on the Crow Reservation with ties to Washington traffickers and a cartel in Mexico. To put it simply, Simpson is dangerous, and the people of the Northern Cheyenne and Crow Nations can rest easier knowing he will spend the next 20 years in federal prison,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

In court documents, the government alleged that from May 2022 to July 2023, law enforcement obtained information from multiple sources that Simpson was distributing meth on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation and elsewhere. Simpson is one of approximately two dozen defendants related to a large-scale, multiple-state narcotics trafficking organization centered on multiple properties on the Crow reservation, including one referred to as Spear Siding. Simpson was considered the “best client” of the organization and was a “top dealer” of meth on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, along with being the source for other dealers. Simpson is responsible for the distribution of almost 10 pounds of meth, which is the equivalent of 36,240 doses. The government alleged Simpson was integral to the operation, partially because he made sure his sources got paid.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

Great Falls Woman gets Probation and Must Pay for Stealing Mail and Gift Cards

A Great Falls woman who admitted to possessing stolen mail and wire fraud while working as a postal service contract driver was also sentenced this week in federal court to three years of probation and ordered to pay $5,641 restitution, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

34 year-old Jacqueline Rose Hydock pleaded guilty in August 2023 to possession of stolen mail and wire fraud.

In court documents, the government alleged that while Hydock was a postal service contract driver responsible for transporting mail between the Black Eagle and Great Falls post offices, she stole checks and gift cards contained in some of the mail items. Hydock used stolen gift cards at Great Falls businesses and altered and deposited checks into her bank accounts in 2022. In letters to the court, one of the victims spent more than five hours and 100 miles of driving to rectify the damage caused after Hydock stole a check he had mailed. Another victim told the court that she is afraid to mail anything of value anymore, and that when her seven-year-old grandson opened his birthday card that no longer had its gift card inside, both were devastated.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

KGVO News thanks Public Affairs Officer Clair Howard for the press releases from the Department of Justice regarding these cases.

(The Information from this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.)