Sheriff's office asks for the community's help
<p>Broken window of Trevor Mercier's residence at Park Apartments No. 43 with Boyd White, left, Chief Terry Watson and Sheriff Roby Bowe. (Paul Sievers/TWN)</p>
<p>The residence of Sheena Devine, 404 W. Third, Apt. B with County Attorney Bernard Cassidy, left, Deputy County Attorney Jeff Zwang, Deputy County Attorney Marcia Boris and Sheriff's Deputy John Hyslop. (Paul Sievers/TWN)</p>
<p>Crime scene investigators at the residence of Sheena Devine, 404 W. Third, Apt. B Friday afternoon. (Paul Sievers/TWN)</p>
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office has its hands full and needs your help.
That was one of the messages delivered during a community meeting held at Flathead Valley Community College’s Lincoln County campus on Friday night.
Sgt. Brandon Holzer and Sheriff Roby Bowe spoke to 30 people about what the sheriff’s office is dealing with and how the public can help.
Bowe has 13 patrol officers — not counting detectives and administration — for the whole county, including eight in Libby, four in Eureka and one in Troy.
“We cannot do this alone,” Holzer said. “We don’t have the manpower. We need your help.”
One of the ways the public can help is by calling in tips anytime one sees something suspicious.
“Don’t stop giving tips even if you don’t see immediate results,” Bowe said. “Sometimes it’s one little tip that can break the case.”
The county is short on funds and dealing with an uptick in property crimes, Bowe and Holzer said. A lot of these are done to support a drug habit.
Holzer recommended that residents use an Abus lock made in Germany instead of a standard Master Lock, “which can be busted in two seconds without making a sound.”
He also recommended using video and game cameras, which he called “a great idea.”
A recent string of $20,000 in property thefts that resulted in the arrest of two suspects on Friday was another topic. Holzer suggested that those who had items stolen make a list and come to the sheriff’s office at 512 California Ave. or call 293-4112 and ask to make an appointment with a deputy.
Abuse of alcohol and prescription drugs and the use of methamphetamines and opiate-based drugs are plaguing Lincoln County, Holzer said, noting that drug addicts steal property and sell it to support drug habits that range from $20 to hundreds of dollars a day. Holzer said he has seen a drug habit as high as $700 a day.
Bowe noted that a drug bust in Lincoln County in June which netted 145 pounds of cocaine worth $1.3 million “is the largest cocaine stop in Montana in 2016.” This is due to the county’s proximity to the Canadian border, he said after the meeting. Three men who were arrested in that case are Canadian citizens.
Alcohol-related crimes are still “our biggest issue,” Holzer said.
He noted that domestic violence in the county is “pretty much at the top of the list in Montana,” adding that it often is alcohol-related.
Caleb M. Soptelean can be reached at 293-4124 or by email at csoptelean@thewesternnews.com.