Blackweasel sentenced for exposing children to drugs

A Ronan man was committed in District Court in Polson Nov. 14 to the Montana Department of Corrections for a total of 10 years with eight years suspended on two counts of criminal child endangerment.

The term was in accordance with a plea agreement reached in the case of 27-year-old Trevor Blackweasel, who, with Ashley Upham, was accused of exposing their three children to drugs.

Upham pled guilty July 31 and was sentenced by Judge Molly Owen to 10 years with the Department of Corrections with five years suspended.

According to court records, on Sept. 20, 2023, emergency crews and law enforcement responded to a report of an unresponsive infant. At the scene, Upham handed the infant over to a law enforcement officer. The officer immediately began life-saving procedures, however the infant was already cold to the touch and stiffening.

The entire house was littered with drug paraphernalia, commingled with children’s items, according to the charging documents. A dose of Narcan was also located in the home. Blackweasel was located in a closet of the home, where he was hiding under a blanket with two older children, ages three and five.

An autopsy performed on the infant showed the cause of death as undetermined, but methamphetamine was in the infant’s system. Hair samples taken of the older children indicated the presence of fentanyl and methamphetamine.

In a separate matter, Blackweasel and Upham were arrested on July 8 after an armed stand-off with law enforcement on BlueBird Lane. They were located hiding in a garage with other known drug users.