Missoula woman sentenced to more than two years in prison for stealing two U.S. Forest Service pickup trucks Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana Byline: Clair J. Howard Dateline: Missoula, Montana Date: 10 April 2024 Subjects: American Government , Crime

MISSOULA — A Missoula woman who admitted to stealing property from the U.S. Forest Service was sentenced today to two years and two months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Kasey Nichol Hugs, 39, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to theft of government property.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. The judge also ordered $11,836 restitution for the damage caused to the property Hugs stole.

The government alleged in court documents that on Dec. 26, 2020, a white Dodge Ram 2500 crew cab pickup truck, valued at approximately $40,000, and two government cell phones were stolen from the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station in Missoula. Five days later, Hugs stole a second truck, a 2017 Ford crew cab, valued at more than $28,000, from the same facility. In the weeks that followed, Hugs drove the trucks to various businesses in Missoula. In January 2021, the Ford was located on the Flathead Indian Reservation and the Dodge was recovered from the side of Highway 200 in Lincoln. Both vehicles sustained property damage and were missing their truck bed toppers. Hugs was identified through surveillance videos and other evidence as having stolen the property.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Karla E. Painter prosecuted the case. The U.S. Forest Service and Missoula Police Department conducted the investigation.

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Clair J. Howard

Public Affairs Officer

406-247-4623

Clair.Howard@usdoj.gov

Updated April 10, 2024

Press Release Number: 24-95