Former Wagner police chief sentenced for crime

• Jim Chaney

Jim Chaney

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WAGNER - The former police chief of Wagner has been sentenced to community service for failing to report his girlfriend's drug paraphernalia.

Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that James A. Chaney, 44, Wagner, was sentenced to serve 180 days in jail and pay a $1,000 fine on one count of misprision of a felony, a misdemeanor. But the sentence is suspended on the condition that Chaney complete 120 hours of community service within the next four months.

The 3:45 p.m. Friday news release from the attorney general came as a surprise. Chaney's case had been scheduled for trial and moved to Mitchell.

The attorney general's announcement also conflicts with past reports. The announcement says the charge against Chaney "stemmed from Chaney’s failure to report drug paraphernalia at his place of residence." Court documents previously obtained by The Daily Republic indicate Chaney was accused of using a storage unit at the Wagner Police Department to store needles his girlfriend, Charline Cournoyer, apparently used to take meth.

This case was investigated by the state Division of Criminal Investigation and was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.

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