LHS teacher, coach arrested on drug charges
by Kootenai Valley Record
March 25, 2011
Libby High School teacher and coach Mort Curtiss was arrested last week and charged with two felony counts of distribution of dangerous drugs after allegedly giving oxycodone pills and marijuana to an informant working for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
Curtiss, 53, teaches shop and coaches wrestling at LHS. He was arrested Wednesday and was released on $50,000 bond following an initial appearance Thursday before Justice of the Peace Jay Sheffield.
According to court documents, Curtiss gave the informant one oxycodone pill and one partial pill along with 1.5 grams of marijuana. In an affidavit filed in support of the charges, Detective Boyd White reported that he received a call on Friday, March 4, from the informant, who told him Curtiss was at the Elks lodge and was trying to sell oxycodone.
The informant later told White that Curtiss had been overheard talking about "dime bags" of marijuana. According to White’s report, the informant asked Curtiss if he had anything else, and Curtiss said he had some oxycodone.
White reported that he told the informant over the phone to delay the transaction until he and two other detectives could get there to conduct a "controlled buy." When the detectives arrived, White reported, the informant gave him one partial pill and another whole pill. The informant told White Curtiss had refused to take money for the pills and said he was giving them as "a favor."
According to the affidavit, the informant called White again a short time later and said Curtiss had offered some marijuana. After giving the informant some money to buy some marijuana, the detectives watched the informant meeting with Curtiss in his truck in the parking lot. After leaving Curtiss’ truck, the informant gave the detectives a small amount of marijuana and told them Curtiss had refused to take any money for it.
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Editor's Note: See the March 22, 2011 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Tuesdays, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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