Gillette man sentenced for possession

Gillette man Cody Shuck pled guilty to possession charges after he was spotted acting suspiciously near a Crook County bentonite pit, and has been sentenced to up to six years in jail.

A Sheriff’s Office deputy was dispatched to a report of a suspicious person on October 8, 2019. The reporting party stated that someone in an older pickup had pulled into the bentonite pit, shut off its lights and parked.

When the reporting party walked over to the truck, he allegedly observed the driver lying across the front seat. He reported that he knocked on the window and the subject sat up, started the truck and drove off towards the interstate with no headlights on.

While the deputy was checking the area, he received a report from a second deputy that the truck may have been located, parked on Deadwood Stage Road just north of the interstate.

The deputy made contact with the adult male driver, who was known to him through prior law enforcement contacts. Shuck allegedly appeared to be under the influence.

According to the deputy’s affidavit, Shuck was slow to respond, had drooping eyes and appeared to be falling asleep while talking. He also allegedly had sweat beading up on his face despite the temperature being in the 40-degree range.

Shuck allegedly claimed he had grown tired while driving from Newcastle to Gillette and had pulled over to rest. He denied being under the influence of anything.

The second deputy performed standardized field sobriety tests on Shuck while the first deployed Crook County’s K9. The dog alerted near the driver’s side door.

Shuck allegedly admitted there might possibly be marijuana or meth in the truck “from a long time ago”. According to court reports, a search of the truck revealed meth and a small amount of plant form marijuana, as well as a scale with meth residue and needles. At the detention center, the weight of the meth without packaging was allegedly determined to be 6.52 grams.

Shuck pled guilty to one felony count of possession of meth and was sentenced to between 36 and 72 months in a state penal institution, with credit for 87 days served. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $750 as well as various court fees.

The sentence will run concurrently with that imposed for a criminal case in the District Court of Campbell County.