Man pleads innocent to felony drug charge

A 45-year-old man pleaded not guilty on April 19 in Flathead District Court to a charge of felony criminal possession with intent to distribute drugs.

According to court documents, Marc Bolling was stopped by a Montana Highway Patrol trooper on U.S. 93 south of Lakeside on Oct. 14, 2008. Both Bolling and his female passenger provided inconsistent information about their travel schedule, and Bolling also about his identity.

The trooper noticed the overwhelming smell of cologne and asked to search the vehicle. Bolling allegedly consented, and a U.S. Border Patrol agent and a drug-sniffing dog were called to the scene.

Court documents state that the dog immediately alerted officers to drugs in the vehicle, and Bolling asked if the dog could “hit” on “powder” and whether the vehicle would be impounded if drugs were found inside.

The trooper and agent called an agent with the Northwest Drug Task Force, who told them he had information that Bolling was trafficking cocaine to the Flathead Valley.

After a search warrant was granted the following day, agents reportedly located a brick of cocaine in the vehicle weighing nearly 1.2 pounds. They also found three bottles of vitamin B6 — which the task force agent said is often used to cut cocaine to increase weight and street value — along with a pill crusher, two digital scales and a “substantial amount” of baggies.

Bolling, who is currently renting a dwelling in Kalispell, is out on $30,000 bond.

However, Flathead County Attorney Ed Corrigan said Bolling was living in Costa Rica shortly before being arrested in Miami, Fla., and his wife and children are living in South Carolina. Further, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office has a listed address for Bolling in Laguna Beach, Calif.

Bolling’s next hearing is scheduled for May 9.