Christopher Gore had been meaning to hand his drugs over to the police. He just hadn't gotten around to it yet.
That was the explanation the 42-year-old Wyoming man offered investigators after they discovered more than a pound of methamphetamine hidden inside his impounded Nissan Rogue, where it had been sitting for weeks behind the glove compartment.
Then he changed his story.
A sworn statement filed in U.S. District Court shows Gore admitted that he intended to sell the meth to cover personal expenses.
On Tuesday, the 42-year-old was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
The drugs, meanwhile, had spent more than a month sitting in a towing company's lot, waiting for somebody to come looking for them.
Behind Barbed Wire
The whole business began in January, when Natrona County sheriff's deputies pursued Gore in a 2025 Nissan Rogue.
The chase ended with Gore under arrest and his SUV on the back of a tow truck, headed for E&F Towing.
A Natrona County arrest log from Jan. 17-19 lists Gore on allegations of fleeing or attempting to elude police, reckless driving, driving too fast for conditions and a county warrant or agency hold.
The SUV was placed inside the towing company's secured lot, behind barbed wire and a gate accessible only by keypad where it stayed for weeks.
Nobody came to retrieve it, according to the federal affidavit. Nobody moved it.
Employees told investigators the vehicle remained exactly where they'd parked it after the arrest.
Meanwhile, they were hearing things about Gore.
Hidey Hole
In February, agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation interviewed a confidential source who said Gore and several others were buying and selling drugs in Wyoming.
Then, on Feb. 26, investigators in Gillette passed along information suggesting there might be drugs inside the Nissan.
Investigators brought a drug-sniffing dog to the tow yard, where it caught a whiff of something suspicious coming from Gore’s SUV. They got a search warrant and started digging around.
Behind the glove box, underneath the SUV's stereo and touchscreen, they found a hidden space stuffed with drugs.The stash included two large bags of suspected meth in a smell-proof pouch, a red Tupperware container with a drug scale, a glass jar and a green pouch holding even more suspected meth, plus a blue pill investigators thought might be fake oxycodone laced with fentanyl.
Under the driver's seat, investigators located a Springfield handgun with a loaded magazine and a bullet in the chamber. The gun was made in Croatia, which helped prosecutors establish that it had crossed international borders — a requirement for federally charging Gore, a convicted felon, with illegally possessing a firearm. He initially faced that charge, but they ultimately pursued only the meth case.
Police also found paperwork with Gore's name on it, including receipts from sex shops.
Altogether, investigators recovered about 560 grams of suspected meth — nearly a pound and a quarter. It tested positive for meth in a field test.
He'd Been Meaning To Tell Them
With the drugs collected and photographed, DCI investigators Tyler Houser and Birkle went to the Natrona County Detention Facility to speak with Gore.
Gore was advised of his Miranda rights and agreed to talk, according to the affidavit.
Investigators told him what they'd discovered in the Nissan.
Gore told them he knew about the drugs and had wanted to find them and turn them over to police before officers discovered them.
Houser wrote that Gore immediately changed his account and said he intended to sell the drugs to pay for personal expenses and other concerns.
Off To Ohio
Gore was charged on March 27 for having meth he intended to sell.
After remaining in custody for months, he waived his right to a grand jury indictment and pleaded guilty Sept. 3.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson sentenced him to 10 years in prison, followed by seven years of supervised release.
His attorney, Thomas Fleener, successfully argued for a slightly reduced sentencing guideline calculation because Gore had already served time and completed parole for a previous offense involving a forged contracting license.
The judge recommended Gore serve his sentence at a federal prison in Elkton, Ohio, and receive drug treatment while incarcerated.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
