SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A 29-year-old Sioux Falls woman has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl that caused a man’s death.
Regan Lehr was convicted of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death.
On Feb. 28, 2025, Sioux Falls police officers responded to a reported overdose at an apartment, where they found Creighton Cowles unresponsive. Officers attempted lifesaving measures, but Cowles died at the scene.
A coroner later determined Cowles’ cause of death was fentanyl toxicity. Investigators found that Lehr had sold Cowles one-tenth of a gram of powder containing fentanyl shortly before his death.
According to his online obituary, Cowles was 29 and engaged to his longtime best friend. He had earned a welding degree, but his passions were photography and botany. He was especially interested in sculpting small trees into works of art.
The case comes just days after Emily’s Hope reported on another federal prison sentence tied to a deadly fentanyl overdose in Sioux Falls. Jessi Whaley, 27, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for distributing fentanyl that caused the death of Shannon Groeneweg.
According to an online obituary, Groeneweg was 32, married and pursuing an accounting degree through Northwest Iowa Community College.
The Drug Enforcement Administration warns that even a small amount of fentanyl can be deadly. Two milligrams can cause a fatal overdose, although the amount varies from person to person.
