Had Faced Up To 20 Years In Prison

MISSOULA -- A federal judge spared a former partner in one of Montana's largest medical marijuana businesses jail time on Friday, straying only slightly from a joint sentencing recommendation by defense and prosecuting attorneys.

U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen sentenced Chris Lindsey to five years' probation with three months of house arrest, reducing the house arrest time from the six months suggested in the plea deal reached by federal prosecutors and Lindsey's attorney, Colin Stephens.

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