Colfax man found guilty of possessing methamphetamine, sentenced to 4 years
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
EAU CLAIRE — A 31-year-old Colfax man has been found guilty of possessing a little more than four pounds of methamphetamine and has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Dalton D. Clayton appeared in Eau Claire County Circuit Court with his attorney, Matthew Krische, before Judge Douglas Hoffer on December 10 for a plea hearing and sentencing hearing.
Clayton was charged with two felony counts of possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine greater than 50 grams and possession of THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) as a second and subsequent offense along with one misdemeanor count of possessing drug paraphernalia.
All three counts were charged as a repeat offender.
In a separate case, Clayton was charged with two felony counts of battery by a prisoner and assault by a prisoner, with both counts also charged as a repeat offender.
Clayton pleaded “no contest” to the charge of possession of methamphetamine and “no contest” to the charge of battery by a prisoner.
Judge Hoffer accepted the pleas and found the defendant guilty, according to on-line court records.
The charges of possession of THC, possession of drug paraphernalia and assault by a prisoner were dismissed but were read into the record for sentencing.
Judge Hoffer ordered Clayton to serve four years of initial confinement along with six years of extended supervision on the count of possessing methamphetamine. The judge also ordered the defendant to serve one and a half years of initial confinement and three years of extended supervision on the count of assault by a prisoner.
The sentence for assault by a prisoner will be served concurrently with the prison sentence imposed for possession of methamphetamine.
The conditions of the extended supervision include maintaining absolute sobriety and no contact with Ashlee Strand and Kim Blatcher.
In addition, Clayton is ordered to testify truthfully in any legal proceeding for which he is subpoenaed, and he must provide a DNA sample and pay the surcharge.
Judge Hoffer granted Clayton 258 days of credit for time served on the drug charge and granted 78 days of credit on the assault charge.
Challenge program
Clayton is eligible for the Challenge Incarceration Program and the Substance Abuse program, Judge Hoffer said.
The Challenge Incarceration Program “addresses criminal thinking and substance use disorders. [The program] allows judges to sentence non-violent, non-assaultive individuals with substance use treatment needs to this full-time, intensive program designed to reduce the incidence of future criminal behaviors. The program’s mission is to enhance safety in the community by providing a continuum of substance use disorder services,” according to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
The Challenge Incarceration program operates at the Black River Correctional Center and the St. Croix Correctional Center.
To be eligible for the Challenge Incarceration Program, the inmate must volunteer to participate and must be under the age of 40 as of the date that the inmate will begin participating in the program.
Traffic stop
Bail was set for Clayton in Eau Claire County Circuit Court at $100,000 cash in February of 2023.
According to the Eau Claire Police Department’s Facebook page on a post dated February 27, 2023, a West Central Drug Task Force investigation “led to a traffic stop in which almost five pounds of methamphetamine was seized by investigators.”
The methamphetamine had a street value of approximately $118,000, representing one of the largest drug seizures in the history of the West Central Drug Task Force, according to the Facebook post.
When a traffic stop was conducted, investigators found a backpack in the vehicle that contained three bags of a white crystalline substance.
Investigators later said Clayton was in possession of nearly 1,919 grams of methamphetamine, according to news reports.
Possession of methamphetamine in an amount greater than 50 grams is a Class C felony that carries a possible penalty, upon conviction, of a fine of up to $100,000 and/or up to 40 years in prison.
Clayton also was found guilty of possessing methamphetamine in Eau Claire County in 2019. Sentence was withheld, and he was placed on two years of probation.
In 2014, Clayton pleaded guilty to a charge of a felon being in possession of a firearm in Eau Claire County. Sentence was withheld, and he was placed on probation for four years.
In 2013, a deferred prosecution agreement for Clayton was revoked on one felony count of child abuse with a high probability of causing great harm for an incident that occurred in 2011, and an Eau Claire County judge sentenced Clayton to three years and six months in prison.
