Suspected meth dealer back behind bars

A suspected drug dealer is back behind bars after allegedly testing positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine while awaiting trial on a felony distribution charge.  

Authorities are holding Jeremy Lee Webster, 37, in the Flathead County Detention Center with bail set at $15,000. He was booked into the jail Dec. 16, just days after prosecutors successfully petitioned Flathead County District Court Judge Heidi Ulbricht to revoke his release.  

Webster pleaded not guilty Nov. 7 to one felony count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute and a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest. Webster picked up the charges after struggling with Columbia Falls Police officers on Oct. 24, according to court documents.  

Officers already had a warrant for Webster when they came across him while patrolling Ninth Street West in Columbia Falls. Although he initially ignored their attempts to talk with him, he stopped after they hit their emergency lights, court documents said.  

Webster allegedly hesitated to comply with orders to drop items held in his hands. He also allegedly ignored a command to drop to his knees, put his stomach on the ground and spread out his arms.  

When officers grabbed his right arm, Webster "tensed up," court documents said. As he struggled with officers — rolling over and pulling away from them — Webster allegedly threatened to kill them.  

"You are a dead piece of [expletive]," he allegedly told the officers. 

During the scuffle, one officer suffered scrapes to his hand and knee. A second officer reported that his light was damaged during the struggle, court documents said.  

While searching Webster, authorities found a case emblazoned with the words "Happy Kit," according to court documents. Inside, they allegedly discovered two baggies with a white crystalline substance that officers suspected of being methamphetamine, a spoon and a scale. The two baggies weighed 46 grams, court documents said.  

Though the crystalline substance came back positive for amphetamines and methamphetamines in field testing, samples were sent to the Montana State Crime Lab for analysis, court documents alleged.  

Criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment and a $50,000 fine. Misdemeanor resisting arrest is punishable by up to six months in the county jail and a fine of $500. 

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.