One Last Sentence

     I do not believe our family gets to say anything at the dealer's sentencing hearing. The prosecutor has not indicated this, and I think that is why she asked us to send in letters ahead of time. But if we are allowed to speak, this is what I want to say--

Dear Judge

   Several people have asked me if the drugs Neil sold killed anyone else. The truth is, I do not know. Perhaps even he does not know. There have been many fentanyl deaths in Helena, but not every victim has a person as skilled and driven as our daughter to unlock their phone and find the evidence. Sadly, in some places in Montana, law enforcement is not even trying to investigate these deaths, so I am thankful Lewis and Clark County took this case seriously. It reaffirms that our son's life had value.

    What I do know is that Neil has had decades to turn his life around and has chosen to keep selling drugs. And that by selling fentanyl, he has removed that chance to get back on course from at least one victim. I also know that Neil is not compliant with terms of probation because he was on probation for drug dealing when he sold to Tracy. I believe the only way to protect the citizens of Helena from this chronic offender, is to keep him incarcerated for a very long time. That is the only way to guarantee that this latest sentence will be his last.