A Polson man accused facing charges of intent to distribute and felon in possession of a firearm pleaded not guilty March 2 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto in Missoula.

Russell Joseph Breton, 61, of Polson, faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release.

Court documents filed by a special agent of Homeland Security Investigations based in Kalispell indicate that in October 2020 law enforcement received information that Breton was in possession of a large amount of methamphetamine. Officers with Tribal police and other local agencies executed a warrant at a Polson residence and Breton fired a shot from a handgun into the floor of the residence. After Breton refused several times to drop the weapon, officers tased and detained him.

Breton told officers he fired a shot into the floor in an attempt to get officers to shoot him. He has prior felony convictions in California and said he understood he was prohibited from possessing firearms.

A subsequent search of the residence turned up approximately 629 grams of methamphetamine and 24 grams of heroin. Officers also recovered scales, plastic storage bags and $6,515 in cash

Breton’s previous felony convictions include receiving known stolen property, possession of a controlled substance for sale and possession of a controlled substance.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Polson Police Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office also were involved in the investigation.