Sioux Falls Woman Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in Death

SIOUX FALLS- United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, SD woman convicted of Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death. The sentencing took place on October 5, 2026.

Regan Lehr, 29, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Lehr was indicted for Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death by a federal grand jury in August 2025. She pleaded guilty on July 27, 2026.

On February 28, 2025, Sioux Falls Police officers responded to a report of an overdose. They found Creighton Cowles unresponsive in his apartment and attempted live-saving efforts but were ultimately unsuccessful and Cowles died. A coroner later determined Cowles' cause of death was fentanyl toxicity. Investigators discovered that Regan Lehr had sold Cowles a tenth of gram of powder containing fentanyl shortly before his death. Cowles ingested the fentanyl resulting in his overdose and death.

This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Police Department, the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force, and the DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

Lehr was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.