Man arrested in Howard Hall for possession of drug paraphernalia

University Police Department (UPD) arrested an individual with three warrants out for his arrest on Nov. 14 at Howard Hall for obstructing an officer of the law and drug-related infractions.

According to Chief of MSU Police Michael Stanley, “two UPD Officers responded to the report of a suspicious male who smelled heavily of marijuana and appeared to be taking items from Howard Hall,” on Tuesday, Nov. 14 just before 5 p.m.

Upon arrival, officers Angela Roundtree and Scott Jensen located a white male standing at 72 inches, weighing roughly 200 pounds. They identified him as a visitor to campus, observing that he was likely in possession of state property that he initially claimed as his own. The man was later identified as John Gates.

Stanley’s official report said that Gates also had two outstanding arrest warrants from Bozeman Municipal Court, one on charges of theft, and another from Livingston Municipal Court to have his license suspended. Gates did not make a court appearance for either warrant.

According to the official case file, he was arrested and charged with the following as described in Montana Code Annotated (MCA):

• Obstructing a Peace Officer; MCA 45-7-302(1)
• Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; MCA 45-10-103
• Possession of Dangerous Drugs (Felony); MCA 45-9-102(1)

“Dangerous drugs” are defined in detail in MCA section 50-32-222.

MCA dictates that misdemeanor charges of this nature are punishable by way of fines not exceeding $500, or imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding 6 months; subsequent offenses are dealt with more severely. The maximum penalty for being convicted of possession of dangerous drugs in the state of Montana includes fines up to $50,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.

As a result of these charges, Stanley approved a non-expiring criminal trespass notice restricting the perpetrator’s access to campus.

According to music and conservation biology student Yufu Yoshimura who had been present at the time of the incident, “He was there during our rehearsals the day before too. He seemed a little off, but he wasn’t doing anything so it was fine.”

“The next day, he was going through the office records and snooping around. Later he put his coat up in the window to one of the practice modules and it looked like he sort of barricaded himself in with his drug paraphernalia,” Yoshimura said.

It was after this that one of the present staff members took the initiative to call UPD, according to Yoshimura.

“He definitely looked high but I didn’t know if he was actually doing drugs in the building or if he had been that way the whole time,” Yoshimura said.

According to music student Sam Spottiswoode, there appeared to be a lightly colored powder on the floor of the room after the officers escorted Gates off the premises.

The Howard Hall practice module G was closed off for the remainder of the week.

Spottiswoode also said that he looked to be in possession of a glass pipe at the time. However, the publicly available report does not specify what drugs the individual was reportedly in possession of.