Libby woman charged with meth possession

A Libby woman with a history of drug offenses is facing a felony charge of possessing methamphetamine.

Christine Renae Quinn, 52, was charged after a March 26 incident in Libby. She appeared in Lincoln County District Court on July 11 and pleaded not guilty. Judge Matt Cuffe scheduled her pre-trial hearing for Nov. 7.

According to court documents, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies were monitoring suspected drug deals on March 26 happening at various casinos in Libby.

At one point they allegedly saw Jamie Ray Abrahamson, 42, get into a vehicle of a suspected drug dealer. Deputies were advised that Abrahamson had a warrant for his arrest for a probation violation.

Deputies pulled over the vehicle and saw Abrahamson in the back seat. He was taken into custody without incident.

Abrahamson was later charged with possessing meth. He also had a scheduled court hearing on July 11, but public defender Keenan Gallagher said Abrahamson was hospitalized with serious health issues. Cuffe said “we need to know where he is” after county Attorney Marcia Boris said she didn’t have any information about where Abrahamson was located.

In the Quinn case, sheriff’s Deputy James Derryberry said he saw her sitting in the front seat and recognized Quinn from having prior contact with law enforcement. He also said he knew her to be a user of dangerous drugs.

Derryberry told Quinn and the driver of the vehicle he was going to have K-9 Bear do a search of the car. The officer told the driver if the dog didn’t alert on the vehicle, he and Quinn could leave in it. She then asked to get her phone from the car. Derryberry said she reached into the car toward a purse, but then said her phone was in her pocket.

According to court documents, Quinn then walked away. The dog then alerted on the driver’s side door. Two days later, on March 28, Derryberry and Captain Boyd White searched the vehicle, an orange 2007 Ford Escape. They found a purse with Quinn’s ID and a vial with a white crystal substance that tested positive for meth.

According to court documents, Quinn had five previous felony drug charges, four of which were dismissed. A fifth resulted in a 2-year deferred sentence.

Felony possession of drugs is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 and five years in prison.