Corrine Ford, a 25-year-old woman from O’Kreek, South Dakota, was sentenced on November 28, 2016, for the possession of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, in Todd County. The conviction marks another flashpoint in the ongoing battle against meth abuse in rural tribal communities across the Northern Plains.
Ford stood before U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange, who handed down a sentence of three years of probation, a $1,000 fine, and a $25 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Additionally, Ford was ordered to forfeit a pistol firearm seized during a search of her vehicle—a weapon she claimed not to own and denied knowing was in her possession.
The case traces back to July 11, 2015, when Ford knowingly and intentionally possessed methamphetamine. Three days later, on July 14, authorities executed a search warrant at her residence. Inside her vehicle, investigators discovered the loaded pistol and additional ammunition—evidence that deepened the federal scrutiny despite Ford’s denial of ownership.
Ford was initially indicted by a federal grand jury on September 9, 2015, on charges of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. But in a strategic shift, she pled guilty on September 14, 2016, to the lesser charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance, as outlined in a Superseding Information filed by prosecutors.
Despite her denials about the firearm, Ford admitted to using methamphetamine, a confession corroborated by multiple individuals who confirmed her ongoing drug use. The admission undermined her credibility and helped seal the conviction, even as the government dropped the more serious firearms charge.
The investigation was a joint operation involving the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney SaraBeth Donovan prosecuted the case. Ford was released immediately following sentencing, now under strict federal probation terms.
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Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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