The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on Aug. 15, 2013, before Chief U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen, CHRISTOPHER PETE TORRES, JR., a 37-year-old resident of Havre, was sentenced to a term of:
* Prison: 54 months
* Special Assessment: $100.00
* Supervised Release: 5 years
TORRES was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica A. Betley, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On Feb. 14, 2012, a Havre police officer stopped TORRES' truck for speeding. As the officer approached the truck, he noticed TORRES was digging around the passenger seat and appeared to be moving something around. TORRES was the only person in the vehicle. When the officer got to the front driver's window, TORRES was shaking and smoking a cigarette. He would not make eye contact and he spoke in a nervous tone. The officer asked TORRES to step out of the truck while they waited for a K-9 unit to arrive. TORRES told the officer he had marijuana in the truck. He then added there were other drugs, as well as a handgun in the truck. Specifically, TORRES said there were a couple eight-balls of methamphetamine and cocaine.
The DEA lab analyzed the methamphetamine and cocaine. The lab concluded the methamphetamine was approximately 99% pure and contained 9.6 grams of actual (pure) methamphetamine. There was a net weight of 13.2 grams of cocaine, with 4.2 grams of actual cocaine.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that TORRES will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, TORRES does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Havre Police Department and the Tri-County Drug Task Force.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
