A Lincoln County man with a lengthy criminal record was denied in his effort to be released from custody so he could enter a treatment facility in Northwest Montana.

Guy Eric Waldron, 48, appeared May 11 in Lincoln County District Court before Judge Matt Cuffe. Daniel Wood, Waldron's attorney, sought a release on his own recognizance for his client. Wood said Waldron hoped to be released to Recovery Centers of Montana in Columbia Falls. He also said Waldron would wear a GPS ankle tracking device.

But Waldron’s record and recent actions suggested he may not be a good bet to follow through with treatment. A petition to revoke, filed April 9 by state Probation and Parole officer Steve Watson, detailed Waldron’s difficulties with supervision and avoiding illegal drugs.

Waldron was sentenced to five years, with two suspended, in February 2023 following a plea deal on a methamphetamine possession charge.

“I think you need treatment in a secure facility,” Cuffe said at the time while delivering the sentence to Waldron.

Court records show Waldron was in three different correctional facilities between March 13, 2023, to April 25, 2023. He refused to participate in treatment and was sent to Montana State Prison.

After being paroled March 5, 2024, he resided in Helena. In October 2025, Waldron returned to Libby.

Watson’s report in the petition to revoke indicated Waldron tested positive for meth use five times between April 23, 2024, and April 6, 2026. Authorities allege Waldron cut off his GPS ankle bracelet on April 9, left his residence in Troy and never showed up for work at Soft Track Attack in the Yaak.

Waldron was arrested April 15 and appeared in court April 27 where he denied the violations. A hearing on his alleged parole violations is set for June 4. Watson recommended Waldron remain in custody and serve two years in the state prison.

After Waldron appeared May 11 seeking his release, county attorney Marcia Boris opposed it. She argued his record and that the Columbia Falls facility was not secure, which is necessary given Waldron’s history. 

Cuffe agreed with the state’s argument and also cited Waldron’s record that dates back to the mid 1990s.

In 2023, Waldron sought acceptance to the county’s treatment court, but was denied. He did have the option of withdrawing his plea deal with the county, but opted against it. Waldron’s attorney, Charles S. Sprinkle sought a 5-year suspended sentence, saying his client believed he could complete treatment without incarceration. 

Boris said the county didn’t believe a suspended sentence was enough to meet his needs.

Waldron told the court he was concerned with being placed in a state facility where he believed he may be the target of retaliation due to his previous cooperation with authorities on other cases. He believes his life will be in jeopardy no matter where he is incarcerated.

Waldron said he previously assisted federal law enforcement in cases against Preston Rossbach and Wes Charlo.

According to Montana State Prison information, Rossbach is serving a 60-year sentence at the Crossroads Correctional Facility in Shelby after being convicted of two counts of deliberate homicide in 2020 for his role in the shooting deaths of two people at a Missoula motel in 2018.

Rossbach was moved to the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Mississippi March 30, prison records show. A number of Montana inmates have been moved to other facilities due to overcrowding at state facilities.

Charlo was lodged in the Great Falls Transition Center, according to information from the state, before being paroled in October 2025. He is on probation in California. Charlo has multiple convictions dating from 1997 to 2020 for offenses ranging from aggravated assault to criminal possession of dangerous drugs with the intent to distribute.

“I’ve been here three months and I’m trying to do things different than before in my life,” Waldron said during his 2023 sentencing. I believe I have a job and a house with very good support in Deer Lodge.”

Cuffe told Waldron he would inform the Department of Corrections of the defendant’s concerns.

Waldron was initially charged with robbery, assault with a weapon, theft and criminal endangerment after two separate incidents on July 2023.

In November, Waldron was arrested again on charges of felony methamphetamine possession and two misdemeanors, including DUI and possession of drug paraphernalia, after an odd incident on U.S. 2 between Libby and Troy.

Waldron pleaded not guilty to all four charges in the July incidents, but on Dec. 12, he pleaded guilty to possessing meth. Part of Waldron's deal included the dismissal of all charges in the July incidents and the misdemeanors in the November incident.

According to a 2010 story in The Western News, Waldron received a federal prison sentence in 2008 after pleading guilty to selling stolen guns and using meth.

After his release, Waldron got more prison time for violating his release conditions after using meth, missing drug tests and not finding a job.

According to court documents, Waldron was sentenced to prison for forgery in 1996 in Flathead County. In 2005, he received a five-year sentence to the Department of Corrections for using meth and other violations that revoked his original sentence.