The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Darin Ray was found guilty on four felony counts of assault with a weapon. The incident took place in June 2020. After an argument at the Mint Bar, those involved left the Mint Bar and went home. After this, a gun was pointed out of a pickup at four separate individuals at Shane Silvan and Heather Wolery’s home. Chouteau County Sheriff’s Deputy Dennis Hale was present at their home when a gun was pointed at himself and Shane Silvan, Heather Wolery, and Taylor McDougle. The trial lasted two days, but the jury deliberated only one hour and returned with a unanimous verdict of guilty.

Darin was with a friend who lives out of state and, as of yet, has not been charged.

County Attorney Steve Gannon said, “We are currently in the pre-sentencing investigation phase.” He briefly told me what a PSI is, however, I researched it and found the following definition--”A pre-sentence investigation is done, “Any time a person is convicted of a crime–whether a case goes to trial and is lost, or the defendant takes a plea deal–the next step is for the judge to impose sentence. This happens at the sentencing hearing. In most serious felony cases, a judge will order a pre-sentence investigation, often referred to as a “PSI,” be conducted by the Department of Corrections (the “DOC”). A PSI is two things. First, it is an actual “investigation” conducted by a probation and parole agent from the Department of Corrections. The agent looks into the background and history of the defendant, including criminal history. The agent interviews the defendant and perhaps the defendant’s family members, as well as the victim and perhaps the victim’s family members. Second, it is a formal document that is drafted by the DOC agent that contains the results (or at least some of them) of the investigation. This document can vary in length depending on several factors, including type of offenses, length of criminal history, willingness to speak with the investigator, and other factors. The PSI report is confidential, meaning that it is only sent to the judge, the prosecutor, and the defense attorney.”

Darin Ray is set to be sentenced tentatively on April 20th.