Kashawn Mathias

A Surrey man has been sentenced to serve three years with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation after entering a change of plea to guilty for two Class B felony counts of delivery of controlled substance-fentanyl.

Kashawn Mathias, 39, Surrey, entered his change of plea at a pretrial conference in North Central District Court on July 3. Mathias’s change of plea resulted in the withdrawal of an order to apprehend, which was ordered after his bond was revoked following a testing violation in March and a refusal to sign a pretrial release agreement.

Mathias was arrested and charged following a Ward County Narcotics Task Force investigation Nov. 30, 2023.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, a task force investigator was conducting surveillance on a Chevrolet Silverado used by individuals involved in the sale and delivery of fentanyl. Investigators observed an individual named Jacob Myrick, 36, entering a Chrysler 200 in the parking lot of a Minot hotel for a period of time before exiting and leaving in the Silverado.

A patrol unit was called to conduct a traffic stop on the Silverado, and a subsequent search located fentanyl pills and $6,000. Myrick told investigators he had purchased the fentanyl from the driver of the Chrysler 200, whom he identified as “Desean” or “G.”

Task force officers then initiated a controlled purchase of fentanyl pills from “G” on Nov. 30, who was detained and identified as Mathias. A search of Mathias discovered the $1,000 of task force funds used in the controlled purchase and an additional $2,410.

Myrick was also charged with a single count of Class B felony delivery of controlled substance-fentanyl, but the case is listed as inactive in court records. A warrant of arrest for Myrick was issued on Dec. 8, 2023.

Judge Richard Hagar ordered Mathias to serve a concurrent sentence for both charges, to first serve three years of a 10-year sentence, with credit for eight days already served. Mathias was ordered to complete three years of supervised probation upon release, along with a chemical dependency evaluation. Mathias was also assessed $1,350 in court fines and fees.