Two Lincoln County residents are in custody and facing drug charges following an investigation earlier this month by local law enforcement agencies.

Deborah Emily Yaws, 33, of Libby is accused of three felonies, child endangerment and two counts of possessing methamphetamine, and possessing drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor.

She is currently lodged in the Lincoln County Detention Center on $45,000 bail. 

Brock Daniel Svendsbye, 47, is also accused of three felonies, child endangerment and two counts of possessing methamphetamine, and possessing drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor.

He is currently lodged in the Lincoln County Detention Center on $45,000 bail. 

Both were scheduled to appear Monday, April 27, in Lincoln County District Court for arraignment on the charges.

According to the probable cause statement by Libby police officer Vince Smart, he joined other city and county sheriff officers April 3 to serve an arrest warrant at a residence on East 4th Street in Libby. The arrest warrant was a result of a previous search warrant that resulted in illegal narcotics found in a vehicle registered to Yaws and Svendsbye.

County Lt. Derek Breiland took both into custody and Ofc. Smart worked to clear the apartment. Smart saw a metal instrument used to clean meth or similar pipes. Yaws gave Breiland to retrieve a pair of shoes for her and the officer saw a clear, plastic bag with white residue and a scoop on top of a dresser inside the door.

The officers then secured the residence and applied for a search warrant. 

Both Svendsbye and Yaws were taken to the county jail where detention officers reported finding a tab of film used to treat opioid dependence inside a plastic bag inside Yaws’ bra. Breiland then learned that Yaws’ children stay at the residence.

After District Judge Matt Cuffe approved the search warrant for the apartments, Smart found a hypodermic needle, razor blades and other paraphernalia. He also found a mirror and two plastic bags with white residue. The substance field tested positive for meth.

Investigators also found a small makeup jar that had an orange, clumpy powder in it. Det. Brandon Holzer advised that the substance was possibly drugs too dangerous for a field test. The search also turned up multiple articles of children’s clothing, toys, diapers and baby formula.

Smart reported that every piece of paraphernalia, the needle, razor blades and the top of the dresser with white residue on it were all accessible to small children.

In the other apartment, little was found other than a can of rotting soup.

A conviction for drug possession could result in a 5-year prison term while a paraphernalia charge could result in a 6-month jail sentence. A conviction for child endangerment could result in a 5-year prison term.