Browning woman sentenced for drug offense in Lincoln Co.

A Browning woman was recently sentenced after she pleaded guilty to drug-related offenses that occurred more than two years ago.

Valerie Sue Dog Taking Gun Grant, 56, received a 5-year suspended sentence from Lincoln County District Judge Matt Cuffe during an Aug. 15 hearing. The sentence will be served concurrently to a 3-year suspended sentence Grant received in 2021 in Glacier County, also for possession of dangerous drugs, according to Montana State Prison records.

Grant appeared on video during sentencing. When discussing her ability to pay $930 in fines and fees, Grant said she was unemployed but felt confident she could get a job.

She also said her husband is a school teacher and she has five children, including two sons who are in jail, and a 12-year-old son who is dependent on her.

Grant was arrested after a June 9, 2020, traffic stop which led to a discovery of an outstanding warrant.

Libby Police officer Cody DeWitt arrested Grant following the traffic stop near the intersection of 9th Street and California Avenue. In an affidavit, DeWitt said he pulled Grant’s vehicle over about 9:20 p.m. after noticing it lacked a visible front license plate.

DeWitt described almost immediately suspecting the presence of drugs in the vehicle. In the affidavit, he recalled smelling the odor of marijuana while speaking with the driver. He also noticed a bevy of air fresheners hanging from the rear view mirror, “which I know from training and experience are often used to cover the smell of illegal drugs.”

The driver was identified as Joan Elaine Cobell-Brown using an expired Montana driver’s license and a tribal identification card. She admitted not having a valid license, allegedly telling DeWitt it expired in 2010. Cobell-Brown also allegedly told DeWitt the vehicle lacked insurance.

DeWitt recounted telling Cobell-Brown he planned to cite her for the infractions. While they spoke, Cobell-Brown allegedly told him that the passenger in the vehicle, Grant, owned the automobile. The pair was en route to Browning from Spokane, Washington, she said, according to court documents.

While DeWitt finished writing the citation, he learned from dispatchers that Grant had a felony warrant out of Glacier County for failure to appear for possession of drugs. He called for backup.

In the meantime, he asked Cobell-Brown about the possible presence of illegal contraband in the car. She denied it, according to court documents. When he asked Grant, the other woman admitted to having a joint, according to the affidavit. She also gave him permission to search the car as well as their belongings.

But when DeWitt told the two they could stop the search at any point, they withdrew permission, court documents said.

DeWitt then told Grant she was under arrest for the warrant and that he planned to seize the car. Grant was taken to the Lincoln County Detention Center where she offered a differing story than Cobell-Brown, telling authorities the pair had dropped off two women in Spokane, according to court documents.