GREAT FALLS - The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that 50-year old Jody Dowd Wooten of Yuba City, California, was sentenced to 174 months in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided over the hearing.
In March of 2017, the Russell Country Drug Task Force received information regarding a woman distributing methamphetamine in Great Falls, Montana. Over the next two months, the task force purchased methamphetamine from this woman, and further identified her methamphetamine supplier as the defendant, Jody Wooten.
On June 15, 2017, through additional investigation, detectives located Wooten in Lewistown, Montana. Detectives had acquired information that Wooten possessed a large amount of methamphetamine, and had recently distributed methamphetamine to various people in Great Falls and Lewistown. Officers observed Wooten driving through Lewistown and stopped her car. After finding she was the sole occupant of the car, officers obtained a search warrant and searched Wooten’s car.
During the subsequent search, detectives seized $9,319.00, as well as 20 metal cans in a black bag. A further search of the cans revealed approximately eight pounds of methamphetamine and 20 pounds of marijuana. The DEA lab analyzed the methamphetamine and determined it contained 3502.6 grams of actual methamphetamine. Wooten is being held responsible for possessing eight pounds of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it back into Montana communities. That converts to 28,016 individual dosage units of the drug that could have reached drug users in Montana.
Wooten has an extensive criminal history that includes prior felony convictions for narcotics, burglaries, and embezzlement.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Betley and investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Russell Country Drug Task Force.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement to identify those responsible for significant violent crime in Montana. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a recently reinvigorated Department of Justice program that has proven to be successful in reducing violent crime. Today’s sentencing is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
