FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 10, 2007
TYLER REED STUMP PLEADS GUILTY IN U.S. FEDERAL COURT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Great Falls on December 10, 2007, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, TYLER REED STUMP, a 23-year-old resident of Rocky Boy's Reservation, pled guilty to conspiracy to possess marijuana with the intent to distribute in a public housing facility and distribution of marijuana to a person under the age of 21. Sentencing is set for March 17, 2008. He is currently detained.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On December 23, 2006, officers of the Chippewa Cree Tribal Law Enforcement Services of the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation (hereafter the Rocky Boy's Police) arrested several juveniles for possessing marijuana. They learned that one of the juveniles, CN, had purchased marijuana on that date at Sunny Ray Ramirez's home, STUMP'S sister, which is located in a public housing complex on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation.
On December 23, 2006, officers of the Rocky Boy's Police Department and the Tri-Agency Safe Streets Task Force executed a search warrant on Ramirez's home. They recovered approximately 92 grams of marijuana and paraphernalia associated with the distribution of marijuana. STUMP was present in the home at the time of the search. STUMP and Ramirez were arrested at the scene of the search.
On December 25, 2006, Ramirez was interviewed. She admitted that she had been selling marijuana since the beginning of December 2006. She also stated that STUMP was aware that she was involved in the distribution of marijuana.
On December 27, 2007, the authorities interviewed CN. CN stated that he had previously purchased marijuana from STUMP at his Ramirez's residence during the time period of December 1, 2006 to December 24, 2006.
On December 29, 2007, another juvenile, MW, informed the authorities that he had purchased marijuana from Ramirez at her residence.
A chemist from the Drug Enforcement Administration subsequently performed a chemical analysis of the marijuana seized from the residence. He confirmed that the substance seized consisted of more than five grams of a substance containing a detectable amount of marijuana, a Schedule I controlled substance.
STUMP faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 1 year in prison and could be sentenced to the maximum of 10 years in prison, a $500,000 fine and 4 years supervised release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph E. Thaggard prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was conducted by the Tri-Agency Safe Trails Drug Task Force.
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A copy of the Offer of Proof can be obtained by contacting Sally Frank at (406) 247-4638.
