Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A woman from Pierre, South Dakota, has been sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for her role in a large-scale methamphetamine distribution conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte handed down the sentence to Misty Stahlhoefer, age 42, on July 21, 2025. In addition to her prison term, she will serve five years of supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Stahlhoefer was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024 and pleaded guilty on April 14, 2025. The drug distribution conspiracy began in June 2023 and continued until September 2024. According to court documents, Misty Stahlhoefer and co-defendant Heather Stahlhoefer supplied methamphetamine to several individuals in the Pierre area. They acquired up to one pound of methamphetamine per trip for further distribution by themselves and others, including Whitney Marrowbone, Wendy Mealer, Brent Larvie, David Rinehart, and Heath Choal. The conspiracy involved between 30 and 35 pounds of methamphetamine.
“Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the FBI’s Northern Plains Safe Trails Task Force, the Pierre Police Department, the Chamberlain Police Department, and the Lyman County Sheriff’s Office, Misty Stahlhoefer and her local co-conspirators are facing significant time in federal prison for pushing drugs that are ravaging our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “Drug traffickers should take note that in South Dakota, they will be met with the full force of law enforcement—federal, state, local, and tribal—and unrelenting federal prosecution out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
“For years, Misty Stahlhoefer distributed illegal drugs in the Pierre, SD area,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. “Stahlhoefer will pay dearly for her reprehensible conduct. Those who choose to harm our community by enriching themselves and leading others to drug addiction will pay a heavy price. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will do everything in our power to rid our communities of illegal drugs.”
The other defendants received sentences ranging from two years up to eighteen years in federal prison: Heather Stahlhoefer was sentenced to 18 years; Marrowbone received an eleven-year sentence; Mealer was sentenced to six years; Larvie received four years and six months; Rinehart was sentenced to two years; while Heath Choal is scheduled for sentencing on September 2, 2025.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force along with local police departments and sheriff’s offices from Pierre, Chamberlain, and Lyman County. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.
Following sentencing proceedings Misty Stahlhoefer was immediately remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
