Man faces felonies for alleged heroin sale

by Hilary Matheson Daily Inter Lake
| September 17, 2017 11:52 PM

A 23-year-old will be arraigned on Sept. 21 accused of selling more than three grams of heroin.

Jacob Kinkel of Kalispell is charged with three counts of felony criminal distribution of dangerous drugs.

According to court documents. Kinkel sold a gram of heroin to a confidential informant for the Northwest Drug Task Force in exchange for $200 on June 22. On June 23, he allegedly sold the informant another gram of heroin for $200. On June 26, he reportedly sold 1.5 grams of heroin in exchange for $300.

In a separate case, Kinkel is facing a felony accountability to criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute charge to which he pleaded not guilty to during an arraignment hearing at Flathead District Court on Aug. 24. According to court documents, on July 3, the task force made contact with Kinkel and Halle Reading, 20, at the Whitefish train station on several tips that the pair were traveling to Spokane, Washington once a week to pick up heroin. Agents reportedly seized a bag containing seven grams of heroin from Reading’s vehicle. Reading has been charged with two counts of felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute and entered a not guilty plea during an Aug. 16 arraignment hearing.

Agents again made contact with Kinkel and Reading as they returned from Spokane on July 11, court documents state. Kinkel allegedly told agents that there was no heroin in the vehicle because they had smoked it on the drive back.

On July 26, agents once again intervened on the pair’s return to Kalispell when Reading allegedly admitted to officers that she and Kinkel had driven to Spokane to buy heroin and that she purportedly had two to three grams concealed in her vagina. The pair reportedly admitted they had recently taken between six to 10 trips to purchase heroin for personal use and trafficking.

Kinkel is currently detained at Flathead County Detention Center.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.