A man allegedly caught with nearly a pound of methamphetamine outside a Kalispell casino in February is facing a felony drug distribution charge in Flathead County District Court.  

Justin Michael Gove, 37, pleaded not guilty to one count of criminal possession of drugs with intent to distribute before Judge Heidi Ulbricht during his March 6 arraignment. Ulbricht set an omnibus hearing in the case for July 16 with a pretrial conference to follow on Aug. 6.  

Gove caught the attention of Kalispell Police officers on Feb. 16 when a resident reported seeing a drug deal go down in the parking lot of a Kalispell hotel. The resident described the two vehicles involved in the exchange, including the license plates, one of which was registered to Gove, according to court documents.  

That vehicle turned up again at a West Idaho Street gas station on Feb. 24. A responding officer found the vehicle unoccupied but spotted a pink pill on the driver's seat and waited for Gove to exit the casino, court documents said. Although he initially declined to speak with investigators, Gove eventually consented to a search of his vehicle.  

He allegedly told officers that a black backpack in the vehicle contained about a quarter of an ounce of methamphetamine.  

But going through the backpack, authorities found a "large amount of suspected methamphetamine" as well as a white bag with used hypodermic needles, small bindle bags with residue and empty bindle bags, court documents alleged. In all, investigators shipped 449.46 grams of suspected drugs to the Montana State Crime Lab, which confirmed the substance as methamphetamine, according to court documents.   

Criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute is punishable by up to 20 years in Montana State Prison and a $50,000 fine. 

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].