Intruder brought up on drug charges

A woman arrested after local law enforcement officers caught her intruding inside a Pioneer Road house in August pleaded not guilty to drug charges in Lincoln County District Court earlier this month.

Peggy Sue Scott, 47, faces a felony count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and a misdemeanor charge of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. She was arraigned Dec. 6.

Deputy James Derryberry of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office came across Scott after responding to a report of a woman walking around a Pioneer Road home about 7:51 p.m., Aug. 8. A neighbor called in the report, court documents said, telling authorities that the property owner lived out of town.

Scott allegedly exited the home as Derrberry and Sgt. John Davis arrived on scene. Davis contacted the property owner, who knew Scott, but said she lacked permission to enter his home, according to an affidavit. The property owner told Davis he wanted Scott removed and declined to press charges.

In an affidavit, Derryberry wrote that he conveyed the property owner’s wishes to Scott. Derryberry noted in the report that he knew Scott, who he described as a known drug user with a history of thefts, from previous encounters. Although he told Scott she was free to leave, he also asked to search her vehicle.

Scott agreed to the sweep, court documents said. She pulled a few items from the golden Chevrolet pickup prior to the search, Derryberry wrote. When he spotted a med bag among the objects retrieved, the deputy asked for permission to check it as well.

She allowed the search, according to court documents, and Derryberry found a clear glass pipe with burnt, white residue.

“Based on my training and experience, the glass pipe looked consistent with being … used for smoking methamphetamine,” Derryberry wrote in the affidavit.

He arrested Scott and successfully applied for a warrant to search the truck. Inside, Derryberry wrote that he found a contact lens case, which contained a baggy filled with a white crystalline substance. It tested presumptively positive for methamphetamine, court documents said.

Criminal possession of dangerous drugs carries a maximum penalty of five years with the Montana State Prison and a $5,000 fine. Criminal possession of drug paraphernalia is punishable by up to six months in the county jail and a $500 fine.

An omnibus hearing is scheduled for March 14 with a pretrial conference to follow on April 11. Were the case to go to trial, it would begin in May.