Meth left behind in room leads to drug charge

A Libby woman is facing a drug possession charge after authorities say she left methamphetamine behind in a motel room she was staying in.

Feryn Paige Willey, 25, is charged with one felony county of criminal possession of dangerous drugs. Her arraignment on the charge is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 28.

She was booked into the Lincoln County Detention Center on $10,000 bail but has since posted it. According to her terms of release, Willey is not allowed to use or possess alcohol, dangerous drugs or weapons. She must also submit to drug and alcohol testing.

According to the charging document, Libby police officer Don Luthey was dispatched Aug. 31 to a local inn following a report of an employee finding meth in a container in one of the rooms where Willey checked in with a man, later identified as Eric Gilroy. The employee also said the couple had a dog with them. They paid an extra $15 for having a dog in the room.

The next morning, an employee saw Gilroy walking two different dogs. When the employee approached Gilroy and told him he would have to pay an additional deposit for the second dog. Gilroy reportedly argued with the employee and cursed at him.

Gilroy said he wouldn’t pay for the second dog and the employee told them to leave. When another employee went into the room to clean it, she reported finding illegal narcotics. The employee told Luthey a small brass box fell on to the ground when she removed a comforter off the bed.

When the employee opened the box, she saw what she believed to be meth inside a plastic baggie. She didn’t think another renter had left the box in the room because it was thoroughly cleaned before the couple checked in.

Luthey collected the evidence, returned to the police department and weighed the white substance. A field test determined it was meth, about 0.60 grams.

The maximum sentence for possession is five years in the Montana State Prison.