Vaughn man who distributed meth from home near school sentenced to more than three years in prison

GREAT FALLS — A Vaughn man was sentenced today to three years and eight months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, after he admitted to distributing methamphetamine from his home near an elementary school and having firearms, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Donnovan Orville Horton, 52, pleaded guilty in January to possession with intent to distribute meth and to drug user in possession of firearms.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

In court documents, the government alleged that in December 2022, officers with the Russell Country Drug Task Force learned that an individual was obtaining meth from Horton. Law enforcement then made a series of purchases of meth from Horton, once in a parking lot in Great Falls and three times from his home in Vaughn. Law enforcement executed a search warrant on Horton’s residence, which is less than 200 feet and across the street from an elementary school. Officers located meth, drug paraphernalia, equipment for making hash oil and four firearms.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey K. Starnes prosecuted the case. The Russell Country Drug Task Force and FBI conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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