Worden man involved in controversial Billings police raid pleads guilty on meth charges

A Worden man pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of possession to distribute meth following a controversial search last September.

With the plea, defendant John Paul Schmieding, 39, faces five to 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine, according to court documents. 

The arrest of Schmieding followed a months-long investigation that started in August 2025 after police were told by a jail inmate that an individual was selling guns to a man in Worden.

The gun buyer turned out to be Schmieding, who was already suspected of being involved with drug distribution and weapon possession, a September court document stated. An informant told police that Schmieding would pay either half the price of the firearms’ value or one ounce of meth per gun. 

Police learned people were regularly purchasing meth from Schmieding. A task force tracking Schmieding followed him to his house in Worden and a home in Billings near the Yellowstone County Detention Facility. 

In the early morning of Sept. 17, 2025, local police executed search warrants at both properties. Law enforcement found Schmieding at his home in Worden outside of his bathroom after having tried to flush meth down the sink. Officers and deputies also discovered glass pipes with meth residue, a digital scale and cash. Schmieding was arrested that morning. 

Schmieding's father and grandmother, Eva Sigsworth, lived at the Billings house. Following the Worden search, police searched the residence with the family members escorted out of the residence.

Law enforcement found four dozen guns stored in the house’s cellar. At least 17 of them were stolen, according to the Billings Police Department. The guns did not factor into any charges against Schmieding.

Still, his 89-year-old grandmother had few answers in the wake of the hours-long search that she felt was destructive to her house, leading to some community speculation about ICE and other agencies’ involvement at the time. Only local law enforcement was involved in the search including the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, which led the investigation.

As part of the plea agreement, Schmieding will surrender more than $78,000 and 31 firearms.