Box Elder Man Sentenced for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Box Elder, South Dakota man convicted of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance was sentenced on November 6, 2013, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Joseph McGregor, age 32, was sentenced to one month of imprisonment, followed by five months of home confinement, a $1,000 fine, two years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The court also ordered a preliminary forfeiture of McGregor’s vehicle and a firearm found in the trunk of the vehicle.

McGregor was indicted for the above charge by a federal grand jury on April 2, 2013. He pled guilty on August 20, 2013.

The conviction stems from an incident occurring on March 24, 2013, when Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement (RSTLE) initiated a traffic stop on McGregor’s vehicle because a headlight was 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 of marijuana with a total weight of 2.9974 pounds, several scales, two smaller bags of marijuana and methamphetamine, a grinder, two hand-rolled cigarettes with an odor of marijuana, a roach clip, and two packs of rolling papers.

The investigation was conducted by RSTLE, the Mission City Police Department, Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.

McGregor is to self-report to serve his custody sentence on November 13, 2013.