A 29-year-old who pleaded guilty to a drug distribution charge for allegedly supplying Kalispell high school students with marijuana in 2021* earned a suspended three-year sentence late last month.

Flathead County District Court Judge Amy Eddy handed down the suspended sentence with the state Department of Corrections to Ryan Christopher Newby on May 25. He also received credit for two days of time served.

Newby initially pleaded not guilty to the felony criminal distribution of dangerous drugs charge, but later struck a deal with prosecutors. He changed his plea in district court on April 3. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to recommend the suspended sentence to Eddy.

According to court documents, Newby met the teenagers via social media. On May 20, 2021 the 14- and 15-year-old were seen hopping into a vehicle of a man apparently unknown to them and departing the campus of Glacier High School, court documents said.

When the pair returned to school, Kalispell Police officers tracked down the vehicle they had left in and allegedly found a bloodshot-eyed Newby behind the wheel.

Newby eventually admitted to sharing marijuana with the underage girls and let investigators search his vehicle, court documents said. Inside, they allegedly found a blue glass pipe with burnt residue in the bowl and a plastic bag containing marijuana.

Investigators interviewed the two girls a day later. The pair told authorities they took “hits” from a blue glass pipe, court documents said.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].

*This article has been updated