Robert Kirk Belton Sentenced In U.S. District Court

The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on May 20, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, ROBERT KIRK BELTON, a 49-year-old resident of Poplar, appeared for sentencing. BELTON was sentenced to a term of:

Prison: 88 months

Special Assessment: $100

Supervised Release: 5 years

BELTON was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura B. Weiss, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

On September 5, 2012, BELTON fled the scene of a traffic stop near Wolf Point. While driving away, BELTON threw a Crown Royal bag out the window. The bag contained approximately $12,000 and over 50 grams of a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that BELTON will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, BELTON does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Fort Peck Law Enforcement, and the Roosevelt County Sheriff's Office.