Man Sentenced to Prison for Selling Methamphetamine in Casper Area

A man who admitted in March to selling methamphetamine in the Casper area was sentenced to a term of imprisonment Thursday morning in Natrona County District Court.

Judge Catherine Wilking sentenced 47-year-old Dalton Lee Powell to serve a four- to seven-year prison sentence. She also ordered Powell complete a drug treatment program and recommended him for the Department of Corrections' Intensive Treatment Unit.

Powell pleaded guilty in March to one count of conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

Court documents say other people who bought methamphetamine told agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation in April 2014 that Powell was selling methamphetamine.

In October and November 2016, sources told agents that Powell was getting methamphetamine from Cheyenne and returning to Casper to sell it.

At his change of plea hearing in March, Powell told Wilking he became addicted to the drug before getting involved in a Casper-area trafficking ring.

"It's pretty simple," Powell told Wilking, when she asked Powell to describe his actions. "I'm an addict, and everybody kind of worked together."

Powell said he used meth to deal with pain. He was in a wheelchair during March's court hearing, and used a walker to stand in court on Thursday.

Powell would travel to Denver and Cheyenne for medical appointments. While in either city, he would purchase methamphetamine and then return to Casper in order to sell it.

According to an affidavit, a police officer stopped a white Chevrolet four-door passenger vehicle on Nov. 1 for a cracked windshield. Powell was one of the passengers.

An officer reportedly found a Smith and Wesson SW9VE -- a semi-automatic 9mm pistol -- as well as a suspected meth pipe on the floorboard of the passenger seat, where Powell had been sitting.

A search of Powell's person allegedly turned up two grams of methamphetamine in a gold zipper sack.

Police later found methamphetamine pipes and suspected heroin in Powell's personal items, which were in the trunk, according to the affidavit. Also reportedly found were a scale with residue, plastic bags commonly used as packaging and $800 cash, court documents say.

Assistant District Attorney Trevor Schenk said Thursday that Powell has a significant criminal history.