Rocky Boy man sentenced to 9 years in fed plea deal

U.S. District Court Judge Brian M. Morris in Great Falls sentenced Jacob Ryan Murie of Rocky Boy, 38, to 115 months in prison for beating and kidnapping a woman for selling him fake methamphetamine.

Morris sentenced Murie Tuesday on a charge for felony kidnapping, including three years supervised release following the prison sentence.

The sentence was part of a plea deal that dismissed aggravated sexual abuse and sexual abuse felony charges.

A press release about the sentencing said the Bureau of Prisons will decide where Murie will serve his sentence.

The release said Murie bought what he thought was methamphetamine from a woman in Great Falls and returned to confront her after realizing the drugs were fake. He found her in a trailer home in Great Falls and beat her with a pistol.

Murie then kidnapped the victim, placed her in a vehicle, and drove to the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. After the kidnapping, Murie admitted on Facebook to someone that he kidnapped the victim.

When interviewed, the victim told law enforcement that she was kidnapped and that she was “deathly afraid” of Murie. The victim escaped when she was released and directed by Murie to steal items in Havre, to repay the drug debt, the release said.

This case was investigated by the Russell County Drug Task Force and the FBI. Because there is no parole in the federal system, Murie will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, Murie does have the opportunity to shorten the term of custody by earning credit for good behavior. However, this reduction will not exceed 15 percent of the overall sentence, the DOJ reports.

Murie also has two open cases in District Court in Havre. He is charged with two drug-related charges, one felony and one misdemeanor, after allegedly being found with meth and a snorting straw while being booked Jan. 3, 2016, at the Hill County Detention Center.

In another case, Murie was allegedly the driver July 2, 2016, of a car in which Tri-Agency Task Force agents found 30 grams of meth. Murie is charged with felony criminal possession with intent to distribute, felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs, felony use or possession of property subject to criminal forfeiture and misdemeanor criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. He was not present at is arraignment Aug. 28 and has not entered a plea on those charges.