BILLINGS — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Montana), published as received.

BILLINGS – A Belgrade man who was trafficking meth in Bozeman was sentenced Thursday to five years and 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Scott Twito said.

Dakota Bradfield Towner, 31, pleaded guilty in June 2026 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen S. Lane presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Towner was a main seller of methamphetamine for Chad Allen Bachmann, who was sentenced in July 2026 to more than 18 years in prison for trafficking meth out of a storage unit in Red Lodge. 

Between 2023 and 2025, the Missouri River Drug Task Force set up a series of drug buys from Towner, where he sold varying amounts of meth to task force informants. Working with Towner was Raven Renay Thompson, who told investigators that Bachmann was their source of meth. Thomspon pleaded guilty to trafficking charges in August 2026 and will be sentenced on Dec. 17. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Missouri River Drug Task Force conducted the investigation.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.