Drugs, paraphernalia belonged to boyfriend, accused tells court

Woman charged with drug crimes denies involvement with drugs found in her Penticton home

A woman accused of dealing methamphetamine in Penticton took the stand Friday, categorically denying her involvement with drugs police found in her home.

Jennifer Montgomery, 31, is charged with one count of possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking and two counts of simple possession of heroin and methamphetamine.

Her trial began the week of Jan. 10 in B.C. Supreme Court in Penticton.

Montgomery denied knowledge of the contents of two safes seized by police where methamphetamine and drug-dealing paraphernalia for packaging drugs were located.

Montgomery said the safes belonged to a man she was in a relationship with at the time, whom she shared a bed with — Ryan Luscombe.

“When he leaves, he’ll put (the safe) in a bag and take it with him,” she testified.

Montgomery told the court two baggies of methamphetamine located in her bedroom were for personal use by her and Luscombe.

Montgomery’s defence counsel, Michael Patterson, asked why Montgomery’s child’s community centre ID was located in the safe which contained drugs located by police.

She said she was not the one who put it in there.

“People will use a card to crush up drugs and snort it,” she said.

Montgomery also put forward evidence of many transactions she conducted selling household items including shoes, shower heads with LED lights, clothing and furniture online and over Facebook.

This, she said, was the reason for the itemized list of money owed and paid that was found in her home, which police called a “drug score sheet.”

“I like to keep track of it because of my bookkeeping past,” Montgomery said.

She would keep track of rent from roommates and other money coming in from transactions of the products she was arranging to sell online, she said.

Rent from roommates, a mortgage payment and other funds owed to Montgomery constituted the $1,500 cash located in the home, she said.

Expert witness Const. Dan Minkley, an RCMP officer with 12 years of experience and a lengthy background in drug-trafficking cases, said much of the evidence in the Crown’s case, in his analysis, was consistent with drug payment.

He said the “score sheet” found in the home was consistent with what he has seen in the past.

“The only time I’ve ever seen paper that looks similar to this, versus other conventional bookkeeping methods, is involved in drug trafficking,” Minkley said.

Powder on two scales located in Montgomery’s home, which tested positive for methamphetamine and cocaine, baggies and a large amount of cash on hand added up to what he typically sees in search warrants on homes associated with drug trafficking.

The trial is expected to conclude after one final day of testimony and arguments, which has yet to be scheduled.