Schweitzer pleads guilty to drug charges

Nick Ianniello

Mineral Independent

A Missoula man pleaded guilty and was sentenced for felony possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute at Mineral County District Court in Superior Wednesday morning.

Logan Schweitzer, 20, was given a three-year suspended sentence along with the forfeiture of $1,200 in cash and Ford Mustang from judge John Larson for pleading guilty to drug charges stemming from a May traffic stop.

According to an affidavit filed by  Mineral County Attorney Shaun Donovan, Schweitzer was pulled over by Montana Highway Patrol Captain Kenton Hicketier and Northwest Montana Drug Taskforce Detective Aaron Westphal at 6:30 p.m. on May 30, 2008.

The officers stopped Schweitzer in his copper-colored Mustang after observing him traveling 53 miles per hour through a 45 mile per hour construction zone on Interstate 90.

Accord to the affidavit, Hicketheir observed a baggy of marijuana in the center console of Schweitzer’s car while he was collecting driver information.

Based on that find, along with other information the officers gained through talking with Schweitzer the two officers asked Schweitzer for permission to search his vehicle.

During the search, the two officers found two baggies of marijuana that had a total weight of 25 grams, a glass pipe with marijuana residue, a yellow plastic container with marijuana residue, a broken glass pipe with marijuana residue, a digital scale, two packages of rolling papers, a box of small plastic bags and $1,201 in cash.

At his appearance Wednesday, Schweitzer expressed regret over his choices and thanked the judge for giving him the opportunity to turn his life around by not placing him in prison.

"I feel regret for what I did and I want to clean up my life," Schweitzer told the courtroom.

Donovan told Larson that he was impressed with Schweitzer’s efforts to clean up his act and that he felt he would take this opportunity to lead a clean life seriously.

"Mr. Schweitzer has made some serious improvements and you can tell that it is necessary," Donovan said.

Donovan said that if Schweitzer could pay the court $800, the established value of his car within six months he could take his vehicle back, otherwise it would be sold and the money would be put into the county’s drug forfeiture fund.

"If he wants his car back we’d be more than willing to give it to him," Donovan told the court.

After his sentencing Wednesday, Larson ordered that Schweitzer be tested for drugs, going on to say that if he tested positive for narcotics he would have to stay in the Mineral County Jail until the drugs were clear of his system.

"I want him to understand the consequences of his actions," Larson said. "He’ll essentially be locking the door or opening the door for himself here."

Schweitzer passed the drug test and was released to his parole officer.

Schweitzer said that through the treatment he has been undergoing for his drug addiction he has decided that the best way for him to escape his drug problem is to leave Missoula and join the armed forces.

Unfortunately, the military will not accept him as long as he has a felony conviction on his record so he will not be eligible for service until he finished the three years of probation required by his deferred sentence.

Schweitzer said the only way he could get into the military any earlier is if the judge grants him a bench probation.

"The main reason I’m asking for this is to change my life and get on with my future," Schweitzer said about his request for bench probation.

He added that he felt the structured environment provided by the armed services would do much to help him curb his addiction that he blamed largely on the environment he was living in while  in Missoula.

Larson agreed to the bench probation, provided that Donovan’s office would agree to the terms of the probation.

"You need to understand that it’s not a safe or minor drug," Larson said. "It’s a serious drug with serious physical consequences."