Missoula man accused of drug distribution in Ravalli County

A Missoula man is facing a felony drug distribution charge after a tip to Ravalli County law enforcement.

Matthew Allen Gunter, 34, was charged with felony distribution of dangerous drugs and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia in Ravalli County Justice Court on Monday, Feb. 23.

An investigation by the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office found Gunter allegedly offered to sell methamphetamine to an unnamed source and agreed to meet the source at Florence Town Pump on Saturday, Feb. 21, according to court documents.

Deputies from the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office located Gunter at the Town Pump in Florence on Feb. 21 where they advised him there was an active warrant for his arrest. He is currently on probation and is being supervised by Adult Probation and Parole.

Gunter was placed in handcuffs and escorted out of the building where he reportedly told the officers he had “dope” in his shirt pocket. A deputy found two bags of suspected methamphetamine in Gunter’s pockets weighing approximately 3.5 grams total, according to charging documents.

A subsequent search of the vehicle Gunter was in turned up several plastic baggies commonly used to store or distribute dangerous drugs, according to law enforcement, a clear glass pipe with suspected methamphetamine residue on the stem, multiple used syringes and caps containing blood near the capped ends, and a small rubber multicolored container officers say is commonly used to store drugs.

Officers also reported finding a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol containing one chambered round and a loaded magazine.

Bond was set at $150,000.