Former Troy man sentenced after parole violations

A former Troy resident is in the Lincoln County Detention Center after he violated his probation on a 2021 drug conviction.

Dustin Lee Shelton, 23, received a five-year suspended sentence from District Judge Matt Cuffe on April 26, 2021.

On May 25, Lincoln County Attorney Marcia Boris filed a petition to revoke Shelton’s suspended sentence.

On July 25, he appeared in district court for a hearing and according to court documents, admitted to violating his probation.

Cuffe revoked his probation and sentenced him to five years with three suspended, in a state Department of Corrections facility.

According to a report by a state Probation and Parole officer, Shelton was arrested on May 12, 2021, by Troy Police Department Senior Patrol Officer Travis Miller after he allegedly kicked in the front door to his mother’s house while he was under the influence of methamphetamine. Shelton provided a urine sample on May 20 that was positive for meth.

On July 9, 2021, Shelton was arrested by Troy Police officers after he was allegedly involved in a physical altercation with two other people. A breath sample indicated his blood alcohol content was 0.144.

Shelton was admitted to the Montana Chemical Dependency Center in Butte on Aug. 3.

Then, on Sept. 8, 2021, an intervention hearing was held in Great Falls at the Blue Thunder Lodge, a sober living environment for men. According to the violation report, Shelton showed up very drunk and was vomiting in the bathroom. Shelton was then ordered to wear an alcohol monitoring device for 90 days.

On March 8, 2022, Probation Officer Darin Allen, did a residence check at Shelton’s home in Great Falls. Allen reported that Shelton was home and was drinking alcohol. The officer said there were four bottles of 99 proof alcohol. He said Shelton admitted to drinking, stating he lost his job three days ago.

In another alleged probation violation, Shelton threw his girlfriend to the ground, held her down and bit her hand. He was charged for the second time for partner or family member assault.

Later that day, Shelton was not able to provide a breath sample because of a high level of intoxication. Officers suspected he was under the influence of illegal drugs and he was taken to the Great Falls Clinic Hospital Emergency Room for treatment.

In the original case, Shelton pleaded guilty to possessing meth after a traffic stop where the drug was found with 49 hypodermic needles.