Clayton Gary Bailey and his wife Brigitte Ann Bailey of Big Sandy, who admitted distributing methamphetamine on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation, were sentenced in federal court in Great Falls on Wednesday.
In a news release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said that they both pleaded guilty in June to possession with intent to distribute meth.
The prosecution said in court documents that on September 12, 2019, officers with Chippewa Cree Law Enforcement made a traffic stop on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation of a vehicle driven by Clayton, who was wanted on a tribal court warrant. Officers also knew that Clayton had been identified by sources as a supplier of illegal drugs. Brigitte was a passenger. Clayton was arrested on the warrant and Brigitte was taken off the reservation.
Officers impounded and searched the vehicle, and found a glass jar and two plastic baggies that contained a total of about 66 grams of meth. On the driver-side floor, officers found a machete, a small hatchet, a knife, and a small Taser.
Court documents state:
- Mr. Bailey was instructed to exit the vehicle due to the warrant, but initially refused commands to do so. Officers saw him remove a glass container from his shorts and saw that it appeared to have a white crystal substance inside. Mr. Bailey passed that container to Mrs. Bailey. When asked what it was, both subjects claimed he had passed her money, although that was inconsistent with the officers’ observations. Officers also observed a syringe in plain view inside the vehicle. Mr. Bailey exited the vehicle and was detained. Mrs. Bailey was instructed to exit as well, so a K-9 unit could approach the vehicle. She refused to exit and had to be physically removed.
- A K-9 unit was deployed around the vehicle and alerted on the passenger door, indicating a presence of controlled substances. Officers searched the vehicle interior. They found: (1) On the passenger side floor, a purse containing drug paraphernalia, a small digital scale, and a notepad that appeared to be a ledger documenting drug transactions; (2) Between the center console and passenger seat, a white crystal substance in a jar, which appeared to be the item Mr. Bailey had handed to Mrs. Bailey; (3) Inside the passenger compartment, two cellular phones; (4) In the vehicle’s center console, a black case; (5) Also in the center console, a wallet that appeared to belong to Mr. Bailey and contained $203 in cash; (6) On the driver-side floor, a machete, a small hatchet, a knife, and a small taser.
- Inside the black case that was found in the center console, the officers found three plastic bags. Two of the bags had suspected methamphetamine inside, and one had suspected marijuana. Also inside the black case was a bottle containing a small amount of suspected heroin.
Clayton admitted to officers that he owned the meth and a small amount of heroin also found in the vehicle and that he had been selling drugs in the area for multiple months. Brigitte admitted to being involved in trafficking meth. She disputed the amount of meth found in the vehicle but agreed she had intended to distribute it.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided sentenced Clayton, 48 years old, was sentenced to 57 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Brigitte, 44, was sentenced to 44 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
