Spokane couple charged with selling drugs in Havre, Rocky Boy

Alleged drug dealers Curtis Finch and Lynette Moss, charged with eight felonies between the two, will enter their plea Thursday.

According to Hill County District Court files, an informant contacted “Agent T” of the Tri-Agency Task Force Nov. 8, to tell him two people from Spokane, Washington — he identified them as Curtis Finch and Lynette Moss — were illegally selling prescription medication in the Havre and Rocky Boy area. The two allegedly traveled to Havre by Amtrak and rented a blue Buick.

According to court papers, the informant said he talked to Finch and Moss about buying Oxycodone pills and was supposed to meet them at the Super 8 Motel, where the alleged drug dealers were staying. Therefore, a controlled purchase was set up for 1 p.m. that day.

According to prosecutors, Agent T searched the informant, and then gave the informant $250 in traceable cash. The informant was dropped off at the Super 8 and two agents surveilled the transaction thereafter.

According to the informant's debriefing statement, Finch and Moss were the only people in the room. The informant gave them the $250 and got four blue 30 milligram Oxycodone pills in return.

Agent T applied for a search warrant for the rented Buick and the hotel room the next day. The warrant was granted that same day.

A deputy stopped the Buick in traffic later on U.S. Highway 2 near the motel shortly after. Agent T arrived on the scene and seized two bottles and $2,439 in cash off of Finch.

Finch and Moss were transported to the motel, where they were arrested and taken to Hill County Detention Center.

With the help of a deputy, Agent T searched the vehicle and found another unlabeled bottle with pills under the front passenger seat, where Finch had been sitting. They also searched the hotel room and the only evidence seized were bank deposit receipts of large amounts.

Agent T took all the evidence back to his office. As he went through the seized bills, he found all but one bill from the traceable cash that had been given to the informant. The total of prescription drugs found was three unlabeled pill bottles with 89 pills of four different dose sizes.

The report indicates that after being read her Miranda rights, Moss agreed to talk to Agent T without a lawyer.

Moss said she and husband, Finch, travelled from Spokane to Havre to visit her niece and nephew. She denied knowing anything about Finch selling pills. She said Finch didn’t sell pills, despite being approached to do so.

Agent T talked to Finch the next day. Like Moss, Finch was advised of his Miranda rights and he agreed to speak without a lawyer.

Agent T told Finch an informant bought pills from him with traceable cash that was found in the confiscated stash. Finch denied selling any pills and said a female named Sella was trying to set him up. Agent T responded by saying that one of the bottles of pills seized matched those the informant bought. Finch again denied selling any pills. He claimed Sella left the pills in his car. He said the money was also from Sella because she owed him money.

Finch is alleged to have said that he was prescribed Oxycodone and Oxycontin, but when asked, he couldn't remember what milligrams or if he was prescribed the pills in October or November. When Agent T asked if the 60 mg pills seized were his, he said yes, and that he took two to three pills a day.

Although Finch is reported to have been unable to say what milligrams the pills he was prescribed were, he did say they were green or blue. Agent T then told Finch that all the pills purchased by the informant and those seized from the car were blue.

Finch continued to claim that Sella had set him up, claiming that he gave her the keys to the car and she put the pills in there.

As far as the money went, Finch also said it was part of a settlement he won. The report is unclear whether Finch changed his story from earlier — that it belonged to Sella — or was saying that the total of all money found on him had came from both Sella and the settlement.

Moss is charged with one count of distribution of a dangerous drug for taking the money from the informant in exchange for the pills. Finch is charged with one count of criminal distribution of a dangerous drug, one count of use or possession of property subject to criminal forfeiture and four counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs. Both are being held at the Hill County Detention Center, Finch on $100,000 bond, Moss on $40,000.

Finch’s hearing will be at 9 a.m. Moss’ at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.