Rushmore State News

A woman from Pierre, South Dakota, Misty Stahlhoefer, has been sentenced to 21 years in federal prison after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte handed down the sentence on July 21, 2025.

Stahlhoefer, age 42, will also serve five years of supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. She was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024 and pleaded guilty earlier this year on April 14.

Authorities said Stahlhoefer was part of a drug distribution network operating between June 2023 and September 2024. Along with co-defendant Heather Stahlhoefer, she supplied methamphetamine to several individuals in the Pierre area. According to court documents, the pair acquired up to one pound of methamphetamine per trip for further distribution by themselves and others, including Whitney Marrowbone, Wendy Mealer, Brent Larvie, David Rinehart, and Heath Choal. The total amount involved in the conspiracy ranged 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.”

Other members of this group have already received sentences ranging from two years up to eighteen years in federal prison:

- Heather Stahlhoefer: 18 years

- Whitney Marrowbone: 11 years

- Wendy Mealer: six years

- Brent Larvie: four years and six months

- David Rinehart: two years

The seventh defendant involved in this case is scheduled for sentencing on September 2.

The investigation was conducted by several agencies working together: FBI’s Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force led efforts alongside local police departments from Pierre and Chamberlain as well as Lyman County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case against Misty Stahlhoefer who was immediately taken into custody following her sentencing.