Nowlen faces drug and burglary charges

A Lake County man is facing drug and burglary charges.

Wesley Robert Nowlen, 30, entered a plea of not guilty in Polson District Court Sept. 28 to five separate counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and one count of burglary.

According to court records, Nowlen accrued the five drug counts during four separate traffic stops on May 18, 2022, and on Jan. 24, June 23, and July 10, 2023. All charges were the result of routine traffic stops in which Nowlen was a passenger in the vehicle.

In the June 23 incident, Nowlen was also found in possession of $1, 287 cash that he said was winnings from a casino in Missoula.

Nowlen also is charged with burglary at a residence in the St. Ignatius area on April 11, 2022. His alleged accomplice in that incident, Quianna Leigh Haynes, has already been adjudicated for her involvement in the burglary.

Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher set a trial for Feb. 26. Nowlen remains in custody at the Lake County Jail with bond set at $20,000.