A fatal dose of 100% pure methamphetamine led to a 17.5-year federal prison sentence for Thomas Joseph Wehner Jr., 40, of Moyie Springs, Idaho. Wehner was sentenced today to 210 months in prison and six years of supervised release for distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death, a charge stemming from a September 2015 incident in Great Falls, Montana.
The case began unraveling when Great Falls police responded to a death call on October 1, 2015. The victim’s wife told officers that Wehner had arrived at her home the night before with several water bottles containing what he called “pure dope.” She said Wehner and her husband drank from one of the bottles. The victim became violently agitated and died hours later. A bottle recovered from the scene tested at the DEA lab and revealed half a gram of meth with 100% purity. An autopsy confirmed he died from a lethal overdose.
Just hours after the death, another woman in Hobson, Montana, reported Wehner showing up at her home driving a rental car, acting erratically. She said he claimed there was a dead body in Great Falls. When deputies found him at a nearby bank, they searched his rental and discovered hydrocodone pills, a black suitcase, two water bottles, and a Ziplock bag containing methamphetamine. Wehner admitted he had given the drug to the victim and intended to supply him with more to sell.
The investigation also tied Wehner to a burglary in Boundary County, Idaho. On September 22, 2015, a business owner reported stolen chainsaws, gold, firearms, and his truck. Two days later, the owner saw one of his stolen chainsaws in the trunk of a car outside Wehner’s home. Then, on September 30, Montana law enforcement stopped a vehicle during a high-speed chase between White Sulphur Springs and Townsend. The car belonged to Wehner and contained one of the stolen firearms, though Wehner wasn’t inside when it was seized.
Wehner pleaded guilty in August to one count of distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death, following a six-count indictment issued in February. U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris handed down the 210-month sentence, holding Wehner accountable not just for the overdose death but for a trail of criminal behavior across state lines.
The case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Great Falls Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Montana Highway Patrol, and multiple county sheriff’s offices in Montana and Idaho. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Betley prosecuted the case, underscoring the federal reach of drug crimes that cross state borders and end in death.
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Key Facts
- State: Montana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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