Washington woman sentenced for intent to deliver

A Washington woman has been given a deferred sentence on a charge of possession with intent to deliver after being pulled over for speeding near Colony last May with more than 50 pounds of marijuana hidden in her vehicle.

According to court reports, a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper was parked on the shoulder of Hwy 212 at around 6:30 p.m. on May 31 when he observed a vehicle bearing Texas plates traveling above the posted 45 mph speed limit at an estimated 55 mph.

The trooper conducted a traffic stop and asked for the driver’s paperwork. The driver, Julie Brake, allegedly stated that her husband had rented the vehicle and added her to the agreement.

The trooper observed that the vehicle had been rented at around 9 a.m. the previous day by a “Ronnie Wilson”. He did not see Brake’s name on the agreement.

While talking with Brake, the trooper allegedly caught the scent of raw marijuana from within the vehicle. He asked Brake to come back to the patrol vehicle, where he spoke with her.

Brake allegedly claimed her husband had rented the car, but had not come with her on vacation as he had to work. She claimed she was travelling from Seattle to St. Louis, Missouri.

The rental contract allegedly stated “One Way Rental” and the vehicle was due to be returned in Berkeley, MO. Brake was allegedly vague on how she would get home.

When the trooper advised Brake that he had smelled marijuana, Brake allegedly became “verbally combative”, telling the trooper he needed to get more training on what it smelled like and claiming she couldn’t even be around marijuana without having a bad reaction.

The trooper deployed his K-9, which alerted near the passenger side rear sliding door. A search revealed two trash bags, each allegedly containing 20 pounds of suspected marijuana.

According to court reports, a box wrapped to resemble a gift contained another three pounds of suspected marijuana and a suitcase contained another seven pounds of the substance.

A total of 50 vacuum sealed packages were located with a combined weight of more than 52 pounds. Brake pled guilty to a misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance and a felony count of possession with intent to deliver. For the misdemeanor, she was ordered to pay $1000 in fines and serve 63 days in the Crook County Detention Center with credit for three days served.

For the felony, Brake was given a deferred sentence pending successful completion of five years’ probation and ordered to pay costs and fees as well as a $1000 fine.