MISSOULA — The former mayor of Stevensville has been sentenced following official misconduct charges from his time in office.
Brandon Dewey, who was elected as mayor in 2017, was sentenced on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, to 14 days in jail and ordered to pay $28,000 in restitution after reaching a plea agreement.
Court documents state the plea agreement also bars Dewey from ever holding public office again.
The misdemeanor charges were a result of the Town of Stevensville's investigation into the town's finances after Dewey lost his re-election bid in November 2021.
Dewey had survived a recall campaign against him in 2020, but city leadership remained in turmoil.
The official misconduct charges stem from key points in the dispute, specifically Dewey's efforts to have the town reimburse him for hiring a Missoula legal firm to defend against the recall.
The disagreement centered around reimbursement, retroactive compensation for council service, filling in for vacant staff, and providing severance pay for departing staff after the election loss, without council approval, formed the basis of the original charges.
