Libby man pleads guilty to meth possession

A Libby man accused of drug possession charges pleaded guilty Monday in Lincoln County District Court.

Jamie Ray Abrahamson, 43, entered the plea to felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs, methamphetamine. A plea deal with the county Attorney's Office called for one count of misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia to be dismissed.

District Judge Mike Cuffe sent the man's sentencing for April 17. He sternly reminded Abrahamson to show up for that hearing.

Abrahamson did not show up for court hearings on Nov. 28 and Dec. 5, leading Cuffe to issue a $25,000 arrest warrant.

"If you're not here, I'll file a bench warrant and they'll come get you," Cuffe said.

Abrahamson said he had recently moved back to Libby and believed he could find work as a floor installer.

Abrahamson was arrested after he was allegedly found with meth and a loaded syringe during a traffic stop in March.

According to court documents, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies on March 26, 2022, were monitoring suspected drug deals happening at various casinos in Libby.

At one point they allegedly saw Abrahamson 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.

Documents state that deputies found a syringe among Abrahamson’s possessions. Abrahamson allegedly said the needle contained a “point,” which means a small amount of drugs are loaded into the syringe.

While at the detention center, an officer also allegedly found in Abrahamson’s pocket a bag with a substance that appeared to be methamphetamine.

Court documents note that Abrahamson has a prior conviction in 2015 of felony distribution of dangerous drugs.

According to the Montana Sexual or Violent Offender registry, Abrahamson's current address is listed on Bobtail Cutoff Road.

Information on the registry indicates Abrahamson was sentenced in June 2001 for a federal offense of carnal knowledge with a female minor in Washington state.

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