Lydia Dowty Gets 8 Months for Firearm Possession

Lydia Dowty, a 21-year-old from Rapid City, South Dakota, was sentenced to 8 months in federal prison on December 16, 2016, for illegally possessing a firearm while under the influence of methamphetamine. The conviction, handed down by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken in U.S. District Court, marks another strike in the ongoing battle against drug-fueled weapons violations in the region.

Dowty pleaded guilty on August 26, 2016, to one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, admitting she was in possession of a .45 caliber pistol on April 1, 2016, in Rapid City. At the time of the incident, she was actively under the influence of methamphetamine, a fact that sealed her status as a prohibited person under federal law.

The investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) in coordination with the Rapid City Police Department. Authorities moved swiftly after confirming Dowty’s possession of the weapon and her ineligibility to carry due to her drug use, a clear violation of federal statutes designed to keep firearms out of dangerous hands.

Following the sentencing, Dowty was ordered to serve 8 months in federal custody, followed by 3 years of supervised release. She was also slapped with a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund—a small price compared to the risk she posed, prosecutors argued.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman, who prosecuted the case, emphasized the seriousness of arming individuals already compromised by drugs. “This wasn’t a paperwork error or an oversight,” Kelderman stated. “This was a conscious decision to possess a deadly weapon while high and prohibited. That endangers everyone.”

Dowty was taken immediately into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service following the court’s ruling. The case stands as a stark reminder: in the federal system, gun laws don’t bend for meth-fueled choices.