Box Elder Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Joseph McGregor, age 31, of Box Elder, South Dakota, appeared before U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange on August 20, 2013, and pled guilty to the indictment that charged him with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is not more than five years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both; at least two years of supervised release and an additional two years of supervised release upon revocation; and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The charge stems from an incident that took place on the Rosebud reservation on March 24, 2013, wherein Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement (RSTLE) initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle operated by McGregor due to a headlight being out. While the officer ran a license status on McGregor, another RSTLE officer arrived on scene and eventually deployed his narcotics detection dog, who indicated on McGregor’s vehicle. Law enforcement searched McGregor’s vehicle and found three bags containing a green leafy substance, a scale, a smaller bag containing a green leafy substance, a grinder, two hand-rolled cigarettes with an odor of marijuana, a roach clip, two packs of rolling papers, and a cigarette rolled. The three bags of the green leafy substance were sent to the lab and confirmed to be marijuana, with a total weight of 1.3596 kilograms.

The investigation was conducted by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement, Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich is prosecuting the case.

McGregor was released on bond pending sentencing which has been set for November 6, 2013.