A local man is facing seven felony drug charges after a searchof his Columbia Falls home and his shop in Martin City on June 7turned up drugs, firearms, ammunition and drug-sales relatedequipment.
Joshua Lewis, 34, who has been convicted of felony drug chargestwice in the past, was the subject of a month-long investigation bythe Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and the Northwest Montana DrugTask Force.
He faces from one year to life for each of three counts relating tosales of cocaine to a confidential informant, and up to 20 yearsfor each of four counts of possession with intent to distributerelating to cocaine, hashish, marijuana and psilocybin mushroomsfound in his Columbia Falls home.
According to court documents, Task Force agents received a tipabout Lewis in September 2009. While watching his home on May 5,agents stopped and searched a “known individual” who had visitedLewis and found one ounce of cocaine in his possession.
The man, who said he owed Lewis $1,760, agreed to become aconfidential informant and was fitted with a recording andtransmitting device. Five days later, the man allegedly purchasedan eighth-ounce of cocaine from Lewis for $200.
On May 11, Task Force agents attached a tracking device to the redMustang used by Lewis but registered to his wife. Over severaldays, they tracked Lewis to Flathead Valley Community College,where he was a student, to a residence on Canyon Drive, in HungryHorse, and to Granite Peak Stoneworks, Lewis’ shop on CentralAvenue, in Martin City.
The Task Force was familiar with the Hungry Horse residence – oneof its agents had purchased an eighth-ounce of cocaine and somemushrooms from that location in April. On May 26, the agentssearched the Martin City shop after the confidential informantlured Lewis back to his Columbia Falls home by arranging a drugpurchase.
Lewis was arrested as he drove through the Canyon and was initiallycharged with violating his probation. Task Force agents thensearched Lewis’ Columbia Falls residence while his wife and fivejuvenile children were present.
Agents uncovered a number of safes and compartments hidden insidethe residence’s walls. They also found significant quantities ofvarious drugs, a money counter, several scales, a counterfeit billdetector, $4,696 in cash and an arsenal of guns, magazines,speed-loaders and ammunition, including a Taurus .357 magnumpistol, a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver, a gold-colored.32-caliber derringer, a Sig Sauer P238 handgun, a Glock.45-caliber handgun, a Benelli 12-gauge shotgun, a Highpoint JCP.40-caliber handgun, a Beretta Tomcat .32-caliber handgun and a 9mm Cobray M11 handgun. They also found four bullet-proofvests.
After telling her she was not under arrest and free to go, Lewis’wife of three years told agents some of the guns were hers, but shesaid she was surprised to hear about the number of guns andquantities of drugs in the house because of “so much junkdownstairs.” She said she thought her husband’s visitors came touse his computer.
Lewis told agents he couldn’t cooperate “because of theramifications to his children,” and he insisted the guns were alllegal while acknowledging that, as a convict, he wasn’t allowed topossess guns. This wasn’t his first felony drug arrest.
Lewis was sentenced by Flathead County District Court Judge TedLympus in November 1999 to eight years in prison, all suspended,after he pleaded guilty to felony possession of dangerous drugswith intent to sell. A confidential informant wearing a transmitterhad paid Lewis $100 for marijuana during an illegal transaction atthe Mountain Mall. Agents uncovered 5 1/2 pounds at Lewis’residence in Whitefish.
Following several probation violations, including possession ofdrug paraphernalia, large knives, martial arts weapons and a blackpowder pistol, Lewis was re-sentenced by District Court JudgeStewart Stadler on Aug. 1, 2005, to eight years, with sixsuspended.
Lewis was arrested again a month later after a Sept. 6 search ofhis Martin City shop uncovered 2 1/2 methadone pills, six hydroconepills, one morphine pill and some mushrooms. Charged with fourcounts of felony drug possession, he was sentenced by Lympus tofive years, concurrent with the earlier sentence.
In both cases, Stadler and Lympus recommended Lewis be placed withthe state’s Connections Correction program.