Steamboat man sentenced to 4 years in prison for role in fentanyl death
A Steamboat Springs man accused of distributing fentanyl to a local resident who died of an overdose was sentenced to four years in the Colorado Department of Corrections on July 25, according to a news release from the 14th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Julius Dickert, 39, of Steamboat, was initially arrested in July 2024 after Steamboat Springs police detectives, Colorado Bureau of Investigation officers and the All Crimes Enforcement Team searched his residence, according to the affidavit for his arrest.
Among its objectives, the All Crimes Enforcement Team, consisting of officers from the Routt and Moffat county sheriff’s offices and the Steamboat, Craig and Hayden police departments, aims to “target the illegal possession and distribution of controlled substances and other crimes associated with these activities,” according to the All Crimes Enforcement Team agreement and memorandum of understanding.
Law enforcement found 3 grams of methamphetamine, 1 gram of cocaine, 2 grams of crack cocaine, 1 gram of fentanyl powder, 29 fentanyl pills, 72 MDMA pills and “various other pills” when they searched Dickert’s residence last year, according to the affidavit.
During the investigation, law enforcement also found text messages between Dickert and Jacob Berman, 32, indicating “drug distributions,” the affidavit continues.
On June 4, 2024, Berman died of a fentanyl overdose, according to the news release from the DA’s office. The overdose death led to Dickert’s second arrest over the course of the investigation.
The investigation was led by Steamboat Springs Detectives Sam Silva and Christian Barnett, states the news release. Prosecution of the case was handled by Deputy District Attorney Joseph Bucci.
According to a plea agreement signed in April 2025, Dickert was found guilty of an amended charge of distribution of fentanyl, a Class 2 drug felony.
The plea agreement also states that Dickert will be fined $3,295 for restitution costs, including funeral expenses.
Following his four-year sentence in the Colorado Department of Corrections, Dickert will also serve 24 months of parole, according to the sentence order signed by District Court Judge Billy-George Hertzke.
Charges filed against Dickert in two other cases, including the July 2024 search, were dropped as part of the plea agreement.
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