Libby woman gets prison time after failed drug tests

A Libby woman on probation is in custody after failing several drug tests.

Christine Renae Quinn, 52, received a suspended sentence on Jan. 3 for the felony possession of methamphetamine.

But she was in court Wednesday to answer charges she failed seven drug tests earlier this year and failed to notify authorities of her whereabouts. Both were part of her terms of release that she had to abide.

Following arguments by county Attorney Marcia Boris, public defender Scott B. Johnson, testimony by her probation officer and a statement by Quinn, District Court Judge Matt Cuffe determined Quinn had violated her probation and sentenced her to two years, none suspended, in a state Department of Corrections facility.

According to a court filing, Quinn received credit for serving nine days and 180 days credit street time. She will be screened for possible admission to Passages Women’s Center, an addiction treatment facility in Billings.

Following her sentencing earlier this year, Quinn was approved to live in Kalispell. Probation and Parole officer Scott Brotnov filed a report that said Quinn failed seven drug tests between March 20 and June 24. She also failed to inform authorities of where she was living.

She was arrested on Oct. 3 before posting $50,000 bail on Oct. 11.

Quinn was charged after a March 26, 2022, incident in Libby. She appeared in Lincoln County District Court on Monday, Nov. 7 and pleaded guilty, which District Court Judge Matt Cuffe accepted.

Cuffe gave Quinn a 2-year suspended sentence. She received credit for time served after her arrest.

Cuffe said the sentence was appropriate because Quinn's criminal history is "scant." But the judge also said there things of concern in the pre-sentence investigation before wishing her good luck.

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.

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, who was later charged with possessing meth, received a 3-year suspended sentence in April 2023. He remains on probation.

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.