Montana woman pleads not guilty to trafficking charges

WALLACE — A Montana woman pleaded not guilty to trafficking charges Monday during an arraignment in Shoshone County’s District Court.  

Dawn Thurman, 56, was charged with trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia following a traffic stop in December when she and three others attempted to get onto Interstate 90 in Osburn.  

Jay Logsdon, Thurman’s public defender, said that in addition to pleading not guilty Thurman has been presented with a settlement agreement from the state that will remain open until the matter reaches pre-trial conferences.  

Thurman, Derrick Fleming, 46, Sylvia Spencer, 35, and Ryan Shumaker, 41, were arrested after police discovered over 500 fentanyl pills, 30.5 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in their vehicle. According to police reports, the group was returning to Montana after reportedly purchasing the drugs earlier that day in Spokane.    

During the traffic stop, Thurman, the driver of the vehicle, was the only occupant to invoke her Miranda Rights; the other three blamed each other.

Within the probable cause affidavit, Spencer initially denied knowledge of drugs, but changed her story later, telling police that Fleming had informed her of a drug load in the vehicle being transported from Spokane to Billings. 

Shumaker told police he was aware of the drugs in the car, but they belonged to Fleming. Fleming told police that Thurman was solely responsible for the drugs and had instructed the others to make up a story about attending a funeral in Spokane if they were apprehended.  

Thurman faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison for the fentanyl charge, three years for the methamphetamine charge and up to one year for the paraphernalia charge if found guilty. Both trafficking charges carry a potential maximum life sentence.  

Thurman, who has been attending substance abuse treatment since her release, is the final member of the group to navigate the legal system.  

Shumaker accepted a settlement offer from the state earlier this month and pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to six years in prison.  

In March, Fleming received a unified 10-year prison sentence that included three years fixed and the other seven years indeterminate. 

Spencer was sentenced to a unified four-year sentence, including two years fixed. However, Judge Barbara Duggan suspended the sentence and added two years of supervised probation.  

Thurman’s trial has been scheduled for Oct. 17.