Cody Man Sentenced to Decade in Prison for Meth-By-Mail Scheme
Written by Andrew-Rossi on August 23, 2022
A recent hearing in U.S. District Court concludes the strange saga of Philip Dobbins, who will now spend over a decade in prison for his role in a drug distribution conspiracy.
44-year-old Phillip Aaron Dobbins appeared for a sentencing hearing before United States District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal on Aug. 16. It’s the final chapter in a saga of multiple crimes, a meth-by-mail conspiracy, and a prison escape for a career felon.
In May 2022, Dobbins pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in relation to an arrest in March 2021. He had initially pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of possessing a controlled substance for a third or subsequent time and a misdemeanor count of driving while under the influence of a controlled substance.
Courtesy Big Horn Sheriff’s Office
Dobbins was sentenced to 130 months – nearly 11 years – imprisonment and four years of supervised release.
He was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment and $500 in community restitution.
The sentence can be considered a mercy. Dobbins faced a maximum sentence of 5 to 40 years imprisonment, four years to life of supervised release, and up to $5 million in fines.
In November 2020, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation began investigating Dobbins for the distribution of methamphetamine in Park County. The investigation revealed that Dobbins was receiving methamphetamine from an in-person source in Aurora, Colorado and through the U.S. Mail from a source in California.
Dobbins was arrested and charged with two felonies in March 2021 after Cody cops found 12.5 ounces ($40,000 worth) of methamphetamine in his vehicle. According to the evidence, Dobbins purchased the drugs in Denver with the intention to distribute them in Park County.
Then, in October 2021, Dobbins escaped from The Life House of Sheridan, a residential treatment center. He eluded law enforcement for three months before being captured on Jan. 5, 2022.
Courtesy Park County Sheriff’s Office
Dobbins was a ringleader in the drug distribution scheme that implicated three other individuals, all of whom are now in prison.
Two of Dobbin’s accomplices – William Taylor and Melissa Walsh – pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute drugs earlier this year. Both individuals assisted Dobbins by sending meth thru the U.S. Postal Service.
Taylor sent Dobbins meth thru the mail from July 2020 to July 2021. Walsh participated in the meth mail scheme from her home in Sacramento, California.
William Taylor was sentenced to 60 months (five years) imprisonment and four years of supervised release. Melissa Walsh was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release.
A fourth person, Cody resident Natosha Martin, was arrested for traveling with Dobbins in the vehicle associated with the March 2021 arrest. Initially released at the traffic stop, Martin was arrested after admitting she knew the drugs were in the vehicle.
Martin is currently serving a 37-month prison sentence and three years of supervised release. She was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute drugs.
This crime was investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, the Cody Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy J. Forwood prosecuted the case.
