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Updated: February 4, 2026 @ 4:32 am
Jeannette has worked as an editor and journalist in the Greater Yellowstone Region for more than 20 years. She finds excitement and joy in watching her children explore wild places with her husband, Brad, and their red heeler, Rosie.
A Jackson man accused of dealing marijuana during a summerlong drug investigation has agreed to plead to a reduced felony possession charge, avoiding potential prison time under a plea agreement filed in Teton County District Court.
Christian Isaac Black, 25, was originally charged with two felony counts of delivering marijuana tied to controlled purchases arranged by investigators over the summer. He also faced a separate, high misdemeanor possession charge.
Under the plea agreement, which still has to be accepted by Judge Melissa Owens, Black will plead guilty to a single felony possession charge. In exchange, the Teton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will dismiss the remaining two felony counts.
The deal calls for a two- to four-year prison sentence, but that prison term would be suspended, allowing Black to serve three years of supervised probation.
Each delivery charge originally carried potential penalties of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The misdemeanor count was punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The Wyoming Department of Corrections probation services team will now plan to complete a pre-sentence investigation in the next 60 days. A pre-sentence investigation is a deep background check done for a judge so they can decide the fairest and safest sentence — looking at who the person is, not just what they did. The investigation produces a report that advises Judge Owens as she weighs whether to accept the plea agreement.
Black was arrested last summer after a confidential informant purchased marijuana from him multiple times. Law enforcement later confiscated a large, vacuum-sealed bag of marijuana while executing a search warrant at Black’s apartment, according to court records.
In all, agents seized about 545 grams of marijuana, just over one pound, with roughly 85% found in Black’s apartment. Court records repeatedly indicate that those weights include “packaging.”
This is Black’s only arrest, according to court records.
As they did in Black’s case, Wyoming investigators use confidential informants to build drug delivery cases. Law enforcement will use confidential informants who are typically a civilian cooperating with investigators for pay or to reduce their own criminal liability.
The case was built by a multiagency team including the Teton County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson Police Department and Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, reflecting the coordinated approach agencies use in drug investigations tied to distribution cases.
A similar case involving multiple jurisdictions — the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Teton County, Idaho, Sheriff’s Office — was publicized last week in Teton Valley, when law enforcement seized a total of 6 pounds of marijuana during two arrests. That case is working through the Idaho district court system.
Black is represented by assistant public defender Rachel Weksler, who is based in Sublette County. Weksler is supervised by public defender Elisabeth Trefonas, who did not respond to a request for comment.
Black made his initial appearance in Teton County Circuit Court on Sept. 3, where Judge Erin Weisman set bond at $6,000 cash or surety, even though the prosecuting attorney’s office asked for $10,000.
Records indicate Black posted bond and was released from the Teton County Jail on Oct. 16.
Contact Jeannette Boner at 307-732-5901 or courts@jhnewsandguide.com.
Jeannette has worked as an editor and journalist in the Greater Yellowstone Region for more than 20 years. She finds excitement and joy in watching her children explore wild places with her husband, Brad, and their red heeler, Rosie.
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