Hardin man gets 3 years on drug and endangerment charges

This article was originally published by Four Points Press on November 30, 2021.

A Hardin man was sentenced to three years in the Montana Department of Corrections for drug possession and child endangerment.

Hinri Alfonso Pereda-Baez, 23, was arrested after a June 3, 2020 search of a house on North Choteau Avenue in Hardin resulted in items containing marijuana and paraphernalia for marijuana including blunt wrappers in a baby's crib. There were also items containing methamphetamine in them, according to charging documents.

Baez was charged with endangering the welfare of children and criminal possession of dangerous drugs, both felonies and criminal possession of dangerous drugs and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanors.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested six people after executing a search warrant on the home, which housed at least seven adults and three children.

There were also many baggies that had a white substance in them that tested positive for methamphetamine.

As part of a plea agreement Pereda-Baez pleaded guilty on May 4 to endangering welfare of children and criminal possession of dangerous drugs, both felonies. As part of the agreement both misdemeanors were dropped.

He was sentenced on Nov. 22 to three years for each felony in the Montana Department of Corrections with 57 days credit for time served. Both terms will run concurrently with no time of his sentence to be suspended.