Man Claims He Gives Marijuana to Missoula’s Homeless

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On February 7, 2026, Missoula Police Department Officers responded to the area of the Poverello Center for a person-to-be removed request. An officer responded and observed multiple people sitting on the sidewalk near the parking lot. Then the officer observed a male, later identified as 46-year-old Timothy Butler, sifting through what appeared to be a marijuana plant product.  

Butler stated he got the product from a dumpster behind a marijuana dispensary, and he was sorting through it to find buds that he could smoke. The officer observed small clear baggies sitting near Butler and asked him if he was going to bag them, but Butler stated no. 

Butler had laid a brown tarp out on the ground and a metal strainer that he was using to sift through the plant product. The officer observed a large, clear baggie with multiple smaller baggies inside of it, a few inches from the marijuana. Then the officer asked Butler to clean everything up, as he was blocking the sidewalk.  

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After consulting with other officers, the officer learned that a single person cannot possess more than 1 oz of marijuana, and a single person found to have more than 2 oz of marijuana is not subject to the civil penalty but rather can be charged under the criminal code. The officer walked back over to Butler and asked Butler if the marijuana was his, and Butler stated yes. Butler collected all of the marijuana, his wire mesh, the baggies, and was then placed under arrest.  

The officer advised Butler of his Miranda rights, and Butler agreed to speak. Butler stated most of what was in the box was “shot” and not even consumable. When asked if he planned to place the marijuana in the small bags, Butler stated no and that the bags were not for marijuana because it would start to mold.  

Butler stated he sifts through it, and if it turns out, he just gives the stuff away. Butler then retracted that statement and said he didn’t distribute it. The officer went back and forth with Butler, asking if Butler sometimes puts the marijuana in bags and gives it to people, and Butler stated, “Sometimes.”  

READ MORE: Missoula News - Crime Reports

According to court documents, Butler said he had been doing this for a few years, but he never sells it; he gives it away to people because they are all homeless. The officer seized and transported the 13.2 lbs of marijuana to the police department. 

Butler was arrested and transported to the Missoula County Detention Facility. He is currently being charged with felony criminal possession with intent to distribute and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia.  

The information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.