Libby woman arrested for dealing heroin

Jerica Lynn O’Neil, a 25-year-old Libby woman, was arrested July 22 and charged with one felony count of distribution of dangerous drugs – opiate. If convicted, O’Neil could be fined up to $50,000 and/or sentenced to a prison term of not less than two years and not more than life.

The arrest stems from an incident in March of this year, in which O’Neil is alleged to have sold 1.2 grams of heroin to a police informant. According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Deputy Lincoln County Attorney Joseph Cik July 22, O’Neil sold the drugs to the informant, who was wearing a recording device and being observed by deputies of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

In his case report, dated March 19, 2015, and attached to the affidavit, Detective Nate Scofield wrote that the informant, known as CI-164, had arranged to purchase five “points” of heroin from O’Neil at a local store for $250. A point of heroin, according to Scofield’s report, is one-tenth of a gram and usually sells for $40 in Kalispell. The difference in price, Scofield wrote, is attributed to the increased difficulty of obtaining heroin in Libby.

Scofield and Deputy Brandon Huff met CI-164 prior to the arranged buy at a pre-determined location. They searched the informant’s car and person, then gave CI-164 $350 in cash from the Sheriff’s Office Drug Fund for the purchase. They included the extra $100 in case O’Neil offered to sell more than the pre-arranged quantity of heroin to the informant.

Scofield reported that O’Neil met the informant at the arranged location, but wanted to go back to her house on Highway 37 before concluding the deal. The informant agreed, and followed her to her house. Scofield confirmed the location of both parties by driving past O’Neil’s residence and personally observing the informant’s vehicle parked at the house. O’Neil then asked the informant to go back to the local market in order to complete the transaction.

Following the drug buy, the informant met Scofield and Huff and turned over a pill container with small foil packages inside. The packages were weighed and tested by Scofield at the Sheriff’s Office, where it was determined they contained 1.2 grams of heroin.

During the informant’s debriefing, which was recorded by Scofield, the officers were told O’Neil had contacted the informant in hopes of selling the heroin and that the informant had used drugs with O’Neil in the past. The informant also reported that O’Neil had brought her two-year-old daughter to the drug deal. The recording of the drug buy, Scofield reported, included references to other drug deals conducted by O’Neil.

O’Neil was released from the Lincoln County jail on $10,000 bond. She is next scheduled to appear in court Aug. 21.