Idaho drug dealer sentenced to state prison

An Idaho Falls man, who admitted to dealing drugs in Lake County, was sentenced in District Court in Polson Oct. 16 to the Montana State Prison. Tyler Jeffrey Parmenter, 33, reached a plea agreement Aug. 28 that called for a joint recommendation for five years with three years suspended.

According to court records, on April 4, a drug agent working with authorities in Lake County received information regarding a possible drug dealer distributing drugs near a sober living facility in Pablo. The suspected dealer was driving a 1999 Jeep Cherokee with Idaho license plates, and was registered to Parmenter.

The agent learned that Parmenter’s driving privileges was suspended. On April 16, the drug agent located the Jeep, and made a traffic stop on the vehicle.

The agent obtained and executed a search warrant on the Jeep, and found a black box containing 253 multi-colored fentanyl pills and a small baggie of methamphetamine hidden within the jeep’s air filter housing. The agent also located an unopened container of syringes and boxes of zip-lock baggies in the Jeep.

Judge Molly Owen presided over the case and gave Parmenter credit for having served 183 days in jail.