Source: US FBI
PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a woman from Pierre, South Dakota, who had been convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on July 21, 2025.
Misty Stahlhoefer, age 42, was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Stahlhoefer was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024. She pleaded guilty on April 14, 2025. Her conviction stemmed from a drug distribution conspiracy beginning in June 2023 and continuing until September 2024. Misty Stahlhoefer and co-defendant Heather Stahlhoefer were the source of supply to several other individuals in the Pierre area. The Stahlhoefers would acquire up to one pound of methamphetamine per trip to be further distributed by themselves and others including Whitney Marrowbone, Wendy Mealer, Brent Larvie, David Rinehart, and Heath Choal. The conspiracy involved between 30 and 35 pounds of methamphetamine.
“Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the FBI’s Northern Plains Safe Trails Task Force, the Pierre Police Department, the Chamberlain Police Department, and the Lyman County Sheriff’s Office, Misty Stahlhoefer and her local co-conspirators are facing significant time in federal prison for pushing drugs that are ravaging our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “Drug traffickers should take note that in South Dakota, they will be met with the full force of law enforcement—federal, state, local, and tribal—and unrelenting federal prosecution out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
“For years, Misty Stahlhoefer distributed illegal drugs in the Pierre, SD area,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. “Stahlhoefer will pay dearly for her reprehensible conduct. Those who choose to harm our community by enriching themselves and leading others to drug addiction will pay a heavy price. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will do everything in our power to rid our communities of illegal drugs.”
The co-defendants were earlier sentenced to federal prison as follows:
• Heather Stahlhoefer was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison.
• Marrowbone was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison.
• Mealer was sentenced to six years in federal prison.
• Larvie was sentenced to four years and six months in federal prison.
• Rinehart was sentenced to two years in federal prison.
The seventh co-defendant, Heath Choal, is scheduled to be sentenced on September 2, 2025.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Pierre Police Department, the Chamberlain Police Department, and the Lyman County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges.
Stahlhoefer was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.