By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review
A Weston man will spend 137 months in federal prison after his sentencing Wednesday on drug trafficking charges, according to a release from U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea.
Ryan P. Murray was convicted in January of possessing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson sentenced Murray on April 26 and ordered Murray to spend an additional eight years on supervision following his eventual release.
The charges against Murray stem from a Jan. 10, 2022 crash in Lincoln County. Police say Murray, the driver, fled the scene, leaving a loaded Glock 9mm handgun along his escape path. Deputies also discovered a Kel-Tec rifle, ten loaded extended magazines and a suppressor, according to court documents.
When Murray was captured, deputies discovered a bag containing 291 grams of methamphetamine nearby. The bag also contained two portable digital scales and numerous plastic baggies, according to court filings. The drugs were confirmed as methamphetamine by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chemists.
At the time of the crash, Murray had five active arrest warrants and had nine open state criminal cases, including four involving possessing a firearm as a felon and another involving substantial battery. Murray has since been convicted and sentenced in many of his state cases and is currently serving multiple state prison sentences with an anticipated release date of February 16, 2028.
As it relates to the firearms involved in this case, Murray was convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon in Lincoln County on April 11, 2022, and was sentenced to 180 days in county jail. In Marathon County alone, Murray has previous convictions for substantial battery, possession of a firearm as a felon and possession of methamphetamine, court records show.
Murray’s 137-month federal sentence will run concurrently with the remainder of his state prison sentences and to any sentences imposed on his still-pending cases.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson noted that the protection of the public was the primary driver of the sentence in this case. He highlighted Murray’s nearly unrelenting pattern of criminality for over 25 years and said that Murray was a drug dealer who goes heavily armed. Murray’s history of guns, violence, and drug trafficking represented a clear danger to the community, Judge Peterson said.
The charge against Murray was the result of an investigation conducted by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson prosecuted this case.
