A Great Falls man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl after his drug distribution led to the near-death of a toddler who ingested a fentanyl pill was sentenced Jan. 24 in federal court to 13 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana.
Shacotta Keenan St. Onge, 31, pleaded guilty in June 2023 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
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Prosecutors argued that the Russell Country Drug Task Force received information in the fall of 2022, that St. Onge was distributing drugs in the Great Falls area.
Law enforcement officer obtained meth and fentanyl pills from St. Onge in controlled buys and in February 2023, executed a search warrant on his residence, recovering fentanyl pills and meth, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Washington man sentenced for trafficking fentanyl in Great Falls
In April 2023, St. Onge sold fentanyl to the mother of a two-year-old girl. The pills were scattered about the mother’s residence. The child ingested a pill, leading to her hospitalization and near death, according to court documents.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara J. Elliott prosecuted the case. Homeland Security Investigations, the Russell Country Drug Task Force, the Great Falls Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation.
Washington man sentenced for dealing fentanyl in Great Falls
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on core principles of fostering trust and legitimacy in communities; supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place; setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities; and measuring the results.
