Federal jury convicts Ashland man of aggravated sexual abuse and distribution of methamphetamine

BILLINGS – A federal jury yesterday convicted an Ashland man of sexually abusing four women and distributing methamphetamine to two of them over a three-year period, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

After a two-day trial that began on March 31, the jury found the defendant, Stephen “Mutt” John Parker, 60, guilty of four counts of aggravated sexual abuse and two counts of distribution of methamphetamine. Parker faces a maximum term of imprisonment of life on each charge of sexual abuse, in addition to a fine of $250,000 and a term of supervised release of five years to life. For each meth charge, Parker faces zero to 20 years in prison, a fine of $1 million, and at least 3 years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The Court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for July 31, 2025. Parker was detained pending further proceedings.

“Parker preyed on women on the Northern Cheyenne reservation by plying some of them with drugs and alcohol, seeking to capitalize on their addiction to perpetrate violent sexual assaults. We are pleased with the jury’s verdict, which will help ensure the safety of women on the Northern Cheyenne community. I would like to thank the attorneys and staff in our office for their hard work on this case as well as the FBI agents who conducted the investigation.” U.S. Attorney Alme said.

The government alleged at trial and in court documents that from 2018 to 2021, Parker sexually abused six women after providing them with alcohol and illegal drugs. During one instance in 2018, he gave a victim food and a place to stay. Parker also provided her with alcohol and methamphetamine. During a party at his house, Parker threatened the victim with a stick before sexually abusing her. On another occasion, Parker distributed meth to a different victim. After hitting her with an ax handle, Parker sexually assaulted her. In other instances, Parker physically assaulted the victims, including punching one victim in the face multiple times, prior to sexually abusing them.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Northern Cheyenne Criminal Investigation Services.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.

XXX