Man accused of running over trooper facing drug smuggling charge

A Rexford man accused of running over a Montana Highway Patrol trooper in February is facing an additional charge for allegedly smuggling methamphetamine into the Lincoln County Detention Center.

Jason Allen Miller, 41, is accused of illegal transfer to an incarcerated person, a felony. He pleaded not guilty April 10 in Lincoln County District Court.

Miller has been locked up in the county jail since Feb. 16 when he was accused of running over Trooper Lewis Johnson during a police chase after authorities attempted to arrest him on a probation violation. The bail is set at $1.5 million for the three-time convicted felon who has offenses dating back more than 20 years.

Miller previously pleaded not guilty to five felony charges in relation to the Feb. 16 incident wherein Johnson suffered life-threatening injuries. The charges include attempted deliberate homicide, criminal endangerment, aggravated kidnapping, possession of dangerous drugs and criminal mischief.

Two others are also facing an illegal transfer charge related to the March 3 incident in county jail. They are Matthew Manfred Priebe and Jesse William Gibson.

Gibson was brought to the jail by Lincoln County Sheriff's Office Deputy Derek Breiland after his arrest for one outstanding warrant from Lincoln County and for another in Sanders County. Gibson, 39, has a criminal history in Lincoln County dating back to 2004. He has convictions for theft and criminal endangerment.

A Lincoln County jail official said Gibson was arrested March 3 on a misdemeanor warrant out of Sanders County and was later transferred to their custody. A Sanders County jail official said Gibson was in custody there for a day before being released.

Court officials say Gibson made his initial appearance in Lincoln County Justice Court on March 27. He has yet to be arraigned in Lincoln County and does not appear to be in custody.

Priebe, who is jailed in Lincoln County, faces a drug possession charge from another incident earlier this year. His arraignment on the new charge is scheduled for April 17. In 2019 he was sentenced to serve time for convictions on possession of dangerous drugs and burglary.

According to a supplemental narrative by Deputy James Derryberry, the most recent case began on March 3 when Sgt. Adam Anderson reported speaking to one inmate about another inmate, identified as Gibson, bringing meth into the jail by hiding it in his rectum.

The inmate, who has since been moved to a rehabilitation facility, said Gibson, Priebe and Miller were doing meth and conspiring to take over the jail. The inmate told Anderson he didn’t want to be part of it and wanted out of his cell.

In the affidavit, Derryberry said he planned to gather other officers and deescalate the situation. He also told Anderson to remove the inmates from B-Cell who weren’t part of the situation, which he did.

Derryberry was assisted by fellow deputies John Hyslop, Ben Fisher, Tony Jenson and Breiland as well as jail staff.

Derryberry said he believed Gibson was under the influence of dangerous drugs. He said the other man couldn’t speak clearly, follow commands and had twitchy movements with his hands and face. The deputy also said his behavior ranged from mild to severe agitation.

Derryberry then spoke to Miller in his cell. The inmate said he didn’t have any dope, there was no dope in his cell and his fellow inmates weren’t planning to take over the jail. When Derryberry heard Gibson becoming agitated, he asked Miller what was happening, Miller replied, “He’s coming off of dope.”

Later, detention officers moved Miller and Priebe into the video conference room, which is secured. Gibson was moved to an isolation cell and officers reported he kicked the door and walls. They reported he was put in a restraint chair for his safety.

Derryberry then searched Gibson’s cell and found a small plastic Ziplock bag hanging off the end of a spork which was stuck into an air vent. The officer said the bag contained a white crystal residue inside it and a light, tinted brown substance smeared on it. The white substance field tested positive for meth.

Hyslop told Derryberry that K-9 Bear showed heavy interest on the bed rail in Miller’s cell. Derryberry said a blind spot in the cell results in inmates often gathering there to snort meds or engage in activity that is against jail policy.

The inmate who alerted authorities to the alleged offenses then spoke to Derryberry. The inmate said Miller had already tried to kill a cop and that Gibson, Priebe and Miller were in his cell talking about attacking detention officers. The inmate said he had been in the jail for about four months, had sobered up and was trying to do good.

The inmate also reported Gibson came into his cell and he could tell he was using dangerous drugs. The inmate said he told Gibson he could have his cell to sober up. He also said he and Gibson went into another cell where Gibson hung a blanket and claimed to have drugs. The inmate left Gibson’s cell and declined to do drugs. According to the inmate, Priebe said, “I’m trying to get (profanity) up.”

The inmate reported that after Gibson got the drugs out of his rectum, Miller, Priebe and Gibson went into a cell and got high. He also reported Priebe bought the dope from Gibson by trading commissary for it. He didn’t see the deal, but reported hearing it.

Then, according to the inmate, Gibson chest bumped fellow inmate Gary Seaman. According to the inmate, he jumped up, grabbed Gibson, pushed him into his cell and told him to "chill the (profanity) out.”

The inmate said he went into Seaman’s cell and the man accused of deliberate homicide in a campground killing last year said he wanted Gibson out of there.

The inmate then reported telling Anderson that he is, “(profanity) either way regarding his sentence and he is willing to testify to the events that took place in the cell.”

The inmate also said Priebe is hiding his antidepressant medication in his cheek and then snorting them to get high.

On March 8, Probation Officer Steve Watson called Derryberry and said urine tests on March 7 indicated Priebe and Miller tested positive for meth while the inmate who shared the information of the day’s events tested negative for drug use.