Guilty verdict returned in Shoshone County fentanyl trial

WALLACE – A Montana man was found guilty of numerous drug-related charges following a trial last week in Shoshone County.  

According to Shoshone County Deputy Prosecutor Britney Jacobs, the jury needed just 30 minutes to return a guilty verdict for 40-year-old Lacey Eagle The Boy, who had been charged with possession of fentanyl pills with intent to deliver them to others, attempted destruction of evidence, reckless driving, possession of marijuana, and possession of an open container of alcohol by a driver. 

The Boy, of Box Elder, Montana, was arrested in August of 2023, following a traffic stop on Interstate 90, where deputies with the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office observed him traveling at 90 miles per hour through a construction zone near Pinehurst at 1 a.m.  

“While Corporal Darius Dustin was performing field sobriety tests on The Boy for suspicion of driving under the influence, fentanyl pills dropped on the ground and The Boy began trying to step on the pills, crushing them into the pavement in an attempt to prevent law enforcement from retrieving them,” Jacobs said. “More of these fentanyl pills, which had been colored and marked to imitate oxycodone, were found in The Boy’s pants, shoes, and scattered throughout his vehicle. During a search of the vehicle where other Shoshone County Sheriff’s deputies and an officer from the Kellogg Police Department assisted, an additional 300 fentanyl pills were found stashed throughout the vehicle.”  

Deputies also found open containers of beer, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle. A loaded handgun that was hidden beneath the driver’s seat, which Jacobs said, “Demonstrates the dangers law enforcement officers face when encountering individuals engaged in the sale and distribution of controlled substances.”  

The Boy was scheduled for a jury trial in August 2024, but he failed to appear, so a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. He was located in January 2025 and has remained in police custody since then.  

“In all, approximately 400 fentanyl pills were located during the stop, which Corporal Dustin testified is well over a user’s typical amount for personal use. Instead, these pills were likely intended to be sold, a circumstantial conclusion which was easy for the jury to reach,” Jacobs said. “Throughout the trial, the defense tried to pin ownership of the pills on another passenger in the vehicle. Under Idaho’s laws of constructive possession, more than one individual can be in actual control of an item.”  

Because the charges against The Boy were filed in 2023, before Idaho passed specific legislation concerning fentanyl which set tiered mandatory minimum sentences for trafficking the drug, he was only charged with possession of a schedule II substance with intent to deliver – That charge carries a maximum potential sentence of life in prison, but no mandatory minimum. However, Jacobs mentioned that she intends to recommend a sentence that falls in line with the new fentanyl trafficking legislation at The Boy’s sentencing in June.  

“The Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office would like to thank the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office and the Kellogg Police Department for addressing controlled substances being trafficked through our community and seizing them before they could be delivered to others,” Jacobs said.