Knight changes plea to guilty

Kaylynn L. Knight, 20, pleaded guilty to one felony count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs in Lincoln County District Court on Nov. 4.

Knight changed her plea as part of a deal with prosecutors. Authorities initially also charged her with possession of drug paraphernalia after arresting her in a recreational vehicle on Bull Lake Road on June 14.

Deputy Ben Fisher of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office crossed paths with Knight while handling a civil service matter with the vehicle’s owner, court documents said. While approaching the vehicle, Fisher reported seeing Knight acting suspiciously inside.

“When [Knight] recognized me, she immediately acted as if she were attempting to hide something,” he recounted in an affidavit.

After greeting the owner, he asked to search the vehicle. Fisher soon found two similar glass pipes “commonly used” for methamphetamines, the affidavit said. A field test found the pipes as positive for meth, according to court documents.

Knight admitted to smoking meth just prior to Fisher’s arrival, the affidavit said. She already was serving probation in Idaho for drug-related crimes.

In the months since her arrest, Knight violated the terms of her bail multiple times and tested positive for meth use on three occasions, according to court documents. Officials eventually raised her bail to $150,000.

Both prosecutors and Knight’s attorney, Scott B. Johnson, will recommend Knight receive a three-year sentence with the Montana Department of Corrections and undergo substance abuse treatment.

Knight’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 9