Accused dealer pleads not guilty

A Kalispell man arrested after allegedly offering to sell drugs in Lincoln County via text message has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges.

Craig Barrows, 35, was arraigned in Lincoln County District Court on Jan. 10 on a felony count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute and a misdemeanor charge of drug paraphernalia possession. Held on a $100,000 bond, he appeared in court via videoconferencing software.

Deputies with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office began searching for Barrows after he allegedly contacted a criminal informant Dec. 23 with an offer to sell methamphetamine. According to court documents, the informant showed the text to Deputy Bobbie Noel, who passed the message along to Darrell Vanderhoef, a state probation and parole officer.

Vanderhoef instructed any deputy that came across Barrows to detain him.

Noel turned out to be that deputy, running into Barrows about 3:55 p.m. that same day. During a subsequent search, Noel turned up a meth pipe in Barrows’ possession, court documents said.

A search of Barrows’ Chevy pickup led to the discovery of about 3.5 grams of methamphetamine, bags and a scale, according to an affidavit filed in district court.

Criminal possession of drugs with intent to distribute carries a maximum penalty of 20 years behind bars and a $50,000 fine. Barrows is due back in court April 4 for an omnibus hearing with a pretrial conference slated for May 2.