Law enforcement coordinate for drug crackdown

A coordinated set of raids Monday by local law enforcement netted arrests and charges for drug and paraphernalia possession relating to four Troy residents.

Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Troy Police Department personnel simultaneously executed search warrants at 311 East Spokane Avenue and 120 Yaak Avenue around 4:55 p.m. Monday, according to County Justice Court documents.

All four individuals were found at 311 East Spokane Avenue, though two were residents of 120 Yaak Avenue.

Court documents indicate that some of the charges are also related to items found at 120 Yaak Avenue.

According to court documents, the warrants for the residences were to search for drugs, paraphernalia, guns “and other evidence for the crimes of possession of dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia.”

Richard Pefferman was found in the Spokane Avenue residence “in his living area,” surrounded by needles and pipes “consistent in appearance with being ones used to smoke methamphetamine.”

Used needles were in multiple locations around the room, including some lying loose and others in a used beverage bottle, according to the documents.

One pipe “tested presumptively positive for meth.”

The charging documents also state that there were guns in plain sight.

Michelle Lowe, a resident of 120 Yaak Avenue, was also found upstairs at 311 Spokane Avenue, in similar conditions to Pefferman, according to court documents. Law enforcement searching her residence on Yaak Avenue found methamphetamine and paraphernalia, as well as a digital scale and plastic baggies.

In addition, law enforcement discovered hydrocodone pills in Lowe’s purse along with $300 cash.

The court documents state that there was no evidence Lowe had a prescription for the pills.

Lowe was also on conditional release pending possession charges in Montana 19th Judicial District Court.

Kenneth Kanzler is identified in court documents as a resident of 311 Spokane Avenue, and was found in a similar situation to the other two and arrested.

Jeremiah Gardner, whose residence is at 120 Yaak Avenue, was arrested along with the others at 311 Spokane Avenue. He was discovered upstairs, in similar circumstances to the others.

According to a media release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, two dogs and two cats were taken from the residences that evening. Troy Police Chief Katie Davis said the animals were removed because there was no one left at the residence to take care of them.

All four individuals were charged with possession of drugs and paraphernalia.

The locations on Spokane and Yaak were the only ones in Troy where warrants were executed Monday, Davis said.

Coordinated response

Troy Police Officer Henry Roy said that the operation went smoothly, with neither law enforcement nor suspects hurt.

But the success wasn’t just in the raid, but also what it represents.

“I think the biggest thing is just how much of a team effort it was,” Davis said.

Inter-agency cooperation has been improving over the last couple years, she said. “And it’s only going to get better.”

Henry said that in Lincoln County, the people trafficking and dealing drugs function as a single community. So cooperation among law enforcement agencies is essential to effectively combat the drug problems in the county.

“If you’re dealing drugs in Troy, you’re dealing drugs in Libby,” he said.

Lincoln County Undersheriff Brian Griffeth said that with a large geographic area, dispersed population and limited law enforcement resources, every chip has to be in play to deal with something so widespread.

“It really and truly takes every single agency — Highway Patrol, Fish and Game, the county, all the cities — in order to make some of these things occur,” he said.

Monday’s operation in Troy serves as an example of how well the various agencies are learning to work together, he said.

“I think it’s a huge message, especially for the City of Troy and our residents,” Roy said. “I think it’s a huge message to the people involved in the narcotics trade in the Troy and Libby area that, us as law enforcement, we’re not going to sit back.”

But the coordination didn’t start with the operation Monday.

Though the primary investigation that enabled law enforcement to get the search warrants was conducted by detectives from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Troy Police assisted, Roy said.

“We were in conjunction with the investigation as far as intel gathering, helping with identifying suspects,” he said.

Interagency cooperation such as this has been growing, Davis and Roy agreed.

“It’s blossomed,” Davis said.

“It’s come full circle,” Roy said.

Both agreed that they only expect that to continue to grow as Darren Short assumes the role of sheriff in the next year.

Speaking up

But just as law enforcement keeping eyes out helps, so do tips from the community, Davis said.

An investigation may take weeks or months or even years, Roy said. Just because it appears law enforcement isn’t doing something about a situation that everyone seems to know about doesn’t mean things aren’t in motion.

“You might not see us, but I guarantee you, we’re watching that house. We’re watching every vehicle coming in and out of that residence. We’re on it. We’re paying attention,” Roy said.

Law enforcement is restricted by the law as well, Davis said. They can’t simply kick down doors based on a suspicion.

But, a suspicion shared with law enforcement could still be a vital link in the investigative chain that leads to a warrant and arrests.

And that’s why it’s essential people not hesitate — either out of fear or complacency — to speak up, Davis said.

“Every piece of information is a vital piece of information,” Roy said. “We will take any piece of information we can get from any citizen, and take it seriously, and investigate it.”

“If you think your neighbor’s dealing drugs, get us license plates, get us, ‘Hey, I’ve seen so and so…’ Get us names, descriptions of vehicles,” Roy said. “Turn that over to us — turn it over to an officer, just drop it off at dispatch and say, ‘Hey, this is for Chief Davis, this is for Sgt. Roy, this is for Officer Miller,’ and we can use that and we can start investigating and watching those houses, those people, those locations.”