RATHDRUM, ID – A Rathdrum man with a decades-long criminal history has been sentenced to prison for drug trafficking and possession of child pornography following multiple arrests in Kootenai County.

Steven Archie Spry, 59, was convicted of possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of fentanyl, and six counts of sexual exploitation of children by possession of sexually exploitative material.

The charges stem from a probation violation search on September 18, 2023, where officers found large amounts of methamphetamine and 83 fentanyl pills at Spry’s residence. He was taken into custody, though his bond was later reduced. Less than two months later, Spry was arrested again after an incident at a Rathdrum motel led officers to another search warrant, where additional fentanyl pills and drug paraphernalia were seized.

At sentencing, Kootenai County prosecutors requested a unified life sentence with parole eligibility after 10 years. On November 22, 2024, District Judge Casey Simmons sentenced Spry to 15 years in prison for possession with intent to deliver fentanyl and trafficking in methamphetamine, and seven years for possession of fentanyl. The sentences run concurrently, with parole eligibility after five years.

On August 15, 2025, Judge Simmons also sentenced Spry to 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography, which investigators discovered on his phone during the motel arrest. Images included depictions of infants and young children. He must serve that sentence without parole eligibility for the first five years.

Spry’s criminal record spans five decades and includes convictions for burglary, battery, drug possession, resisting arrest, and multiple probation violations.

Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney Stanley T. Mortensen thanked law enforcement partners including the Rathdrum Police Department, Coeur d’Alene Police Department, U.S. Secret Service, and deputies with Kootenai County for their work on the case.