Libby women faces burglary, assault charges after neighborhood dustup

A Libby woman, Brenda Dawn Brickell, faces charges of burglary, aggravated assault and purposely or knowingly causing bodily injury to another after entering a neighbor's apartment and fighting with them after they asked her to leave.

Brickell pleaded not guilty to the charge July 7 in Lincoln County District Court. Her next court hearing is set for Aug. 4.

On June 19, Libby Police received a call from Brickell that she was going to murder her male neighbor. Dispatch notified officers that the apartment complex had received multiple 911 calls regarding a disturbance from the area where Brickell was calling.

According to court documents, police arrived and heard yelling from inside. Upon entering, they found Brickell on the floor with a man (the neighbor Brickell referred to in previous calls) and a female standing over here. Everybody was yelling at one another before the police officer separated everybody.

Brickell told police that they had beaten her, hitting the police officer's leg as a demonstration. After more yelling, Brickell said she started it and called the female a curse word. Brickell then tried to leave, but the police officer stopped her, and she responded by trying to push past her.

Officers exited with Brickell, who kept telling police that the other two had beaten her. Officers asked why she had told police she was going to kill her neighbor, to which she said, "'cause I was gonna kill him."

Police secured Brickell in the backseat of the patrol car. Brickell said she had walked into the neighbor's house and that "whatever just f****** arrest me, I don't care." Police asked Brickell to leave the vehicle to arrest her, and while she was placed in handcuffs, she said, "I walked into his house, it was unlocked."

Police documents noted Brickell had no obvious injuries.

After Brickell was secured in the police car, the officer returned to talk to the people back in the apartment. They said they had been watching a movie with their son, who is nonverbal and bound to an electric wheelchair. They said they heard banging on the door and then Brickell entered the residence without permission, yelling. 

Brickell was asked to leave but refused, while aggressively approaching the male and screaming in his face. The female intervened and said she was punched, scratched and shoved by Brickell, as well as having her hair pulled hard. The female said she fought back.

Police reports noted visible scratch marks on her chest and arm. The male also had fresh scratch marks on his arm.

The Libby officer confirmed Brickell did not have permission to enter and that they did not open the door for her.

Brickell faces up to 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine for these charges.