Source: United States Department of Justice News
BOISE B A Caldwell man was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court records, Shawn Simpson, 56, of Caldwell, Idaho, was found slumped over in the driver’s seat of his vehicle. During the wellness check, Caldwell police officers observed that Simpson was acting erratically. While attempting to assess whether Simpson would need medical attention, another officer deployed their K-9, which is trained to detect odors of controlled substances. The K-9 positively alerted to the presence of controlled substances in the vehicle. A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered approximately 120 grams of methamphetamine, two digital scales, and over $700 in cash.
Simpson has a criminal history spanning 27 years with prior state convictions for petit theft, forgery, disorderly conduct, multiple convictions of possession of controlled substances with intent to deliver and multiple convictions of possession of controlled substances.
U.S. District Judge Scott W. Skavdahl, from the District of Wyoming, sitting by designation, also ordered Simpson to pay a $500 fine and to serve 5 years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Simpson pleaded guilty to the charge on February 8, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit, of the District of Idaho, made the announcement and commended the investigation by the Caldwell Police Department, which led to the charges.
This case was prosecuted by the Special Assistant United States Attorney hired by the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with funds provided by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program. HIDTA is part of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. It provides assistance to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States. Idaho is part of the Oregon-Idaho HIDTA. The Idaho HIDTA is a collaboration of local, multi-jurisdictional law enforcement drug task forces, and prosecuting agencies dedicated to addressing regional drug trafficking organizations that operate in Ada, Canyon, Bannock, Kootenai, and Malheur Counties.
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