A Libby man on July 10 pleaded not guilty in 19th Judicial Court in Libby to a charge of possessing 10 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Justin Douglas Brickey, 26, was charged June 15 with one felony count of criminal possession with intent to distribute. The charges carry the maximum penalty of not more than 20 years and a fine of $50,000, with a minimum of two years in prison.

According to court documents, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Dodson and Detective Nate Scofield began a drug investigation after Brickey and another male had allegedly traveled from Libby to pick up a large amount of methamphetamine to distribute in the Libby are.

The officers saw a female and Brickey enter a passenger car and Brickey carrying a backpack that was placed inside the car. As the female drove by Dodson he recognized that the driver had a suspended drivers license. Sheriff Roby Bowe pulled the vehicle over and saw Brickey reach for a backpack when asked for his driver’s license. Bowe saw a digital scale and multiple baggies inside the pocket of the backpack.

Brickey was arrested on suspicion of possessing paraphernalia. Scofield then obtained a search warrant for the vehicle Brickey was in and the residence that Brickey had just come from.

During the execution of the search warrant, officers found the backpack that Brickey was reaching for contained his Montana driver’s license. They also found a digital scale and numerous new baggies, consistent with baggies used to package dangerous drugs for distribution, specifically methamphetamine. They also found 10 grams of a substance that looked like methamphetamine.

Based on this information Dodson believed that Brickey was in possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute.

Bricky was also charged March 2 with two felony counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and one count of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor. Brickey will appear on those charges for a pre-trial hearing on July 17.