Deputies track suspected thief back to drug den

The pursuit of a suspected thief led deputies of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to the door of a suspected drug den Dec. 31.

According to his official report attached to the affidavit of probable cause, Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Holzer was patrolling on Conifer Road in Libby in the early morning hours of Dec. 31, 2015, when he noticed fresh footprints in the snow. The tracks, he reported, led to vehicles parked in driveways on Conifer Road.

Holzer made contact with the residents at one home to which the tracks led, who confirmed the tracks were not theirs, which gave him reason to believe a crime was in progress.

Holzer followed the tracks and identified several other vehicles along Wood Road, Conifer Road and Evergreen Road which had been broken into or an attempt to do so had been made. The footprints were tracked back to Conifer Road, where they met up with a set of tire prints leading Holzer to believe the suspect was in a motor vehicle.

The tracks then led to Conifer Road where they met up with tire tracks,” Holzer wrote. “At this point in time in my investigation I believed the suspect to be in a car and mobile. Deputy Davis took photographs of the footprints. The footprints were a solid sole shoe with a distinct round insignia on the heel.”

Holzer and Davis tracked the prints back to a trailer at Reese Court and found a green car in the driveway, which matched the description and partial license plate of a suspect car from a criminal trespass in Libby earlier in the day.

A warrant was issued for the trailer and executed by Sheriff’s deputies and Libby Police officers.

“At about 1014 hours, deputies from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Libby Police Department and myself executed the search warrant on 67 Reese Court No. 57,” wrote Deputy Nate Scofield in his report. “During the search warrant, illegal narcotics were found inside the residence. I stopped the execution of the search warrant and applied for and received a second search warrant for the residence, vehicles and outbuildings. I executed the second search warrant at about 1643 hours. During the search, two glass pipes with residue were found in Walton’s backpack. I know from training and experience the pipes were methamphetamine pipes. I also found a small baggy in Walton’s vehicle laying on the floor in the front seat area of her vehicle. The baggy had a crystal residue in it.”

The residue was tested with a NIK Type U test and was a presumptive positive for methamphetamine.

Walton was arrested and charged with five misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass to a vehicle, three misdemeanor counts of attempted criminal trespass to a vehicle and one felony count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs.

Three other people were arrested and charged with drug offenses at the same time.

Joshua Arvoux, 27, was charged with one felony count of possession, Kimball Fehrs, 57, was charged with eight felony counts of possession and Mark Gudmundsen, 58, was charged with six felony counts of the same offense.

In his narrative, Scofield reported Arvoux admitted to using methamphetamine the previous day, in the residence, and told Scofield he had pipes and a digital scale in the residence. Scofield said he found both the pipes and scales in the area indicated by Arvoux.

The search also turned up a cigarette box in Fehr’s truck containing a small glass pipe, also with residue, and baggies containing two different types of pills, both controlled substances.

“I executed the second search warrant at about 1643 hours,” Scofield reported. “During the search I found a ‘Marlboro’ cigarette box in the driver’s side visor of Fehr’s truck. Inside the cigarette box was a small glass pipe with residue in it. I know from training and experience to be a methamphetamine pipe. There was also two small baggies containing 20 diazapam 5MG pills, which is a Schedule 4 narcotic. There was another baggie containing two clonazapam 1MG pills, which is a Schedule 4 narcotic.”

Detective Brandon Huff searched a shed outside the residence and turned up additional illegal drugs.

“Detective Huff located a coffee can in the shed outside the residence,” Scofield wrote. “The coffee can was full of illegal narcotics and paraphernalia including the following: Methamphetamine, methamphetamine pipes and packaging, marijuana, oxycodone 5MG pills, oxycodone 15MG pills, hydrocodone 7.5MG pills, hydrocodone 10MG pills, codeine 30MG pills. Both Gudmundsen and Fehrs stated they had access to the storage shed.”

All four suspects entered pleas of not guilty in Lincoln County Justice Court Monday morning.

Walton is being held on $10,000 bond for the theft charges and $10,000 on the drug charge. Arvoux is being held on $10,000 bond. Both Gudmundsen and Fehrs were ordered held on $25,000 bond.

Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe commended the work of the deputies in tracking down the suspects and said his department is committed to bringing everyone involved with the rash of car thefts in the area to justice.

“The deputies, Brandon Holzer and John Davis, have done a fabulous job tracking these guys down,” Bowe said. “We’re going to be relentless in the pursuit of the people breaking into these vehicles.”