Wanted Woman Caught Messing With Missoula Gas Pumps

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On September 8, 2024, at approximately 5:33 AM, a Missoula Police Department officer responded to a request to remove a person from the Zip Trip on Toole Ave. The complainant advised that a female suspect had been messing with the gas pumps for approximately an hour.  

The officer arrived and located the female who matched the description provided by the complainant. The female was identified as 40-year-old Melanie Ingraham. Ingraham was standing at pump 6 and was inserting various cards into the pump’s card reader. The officer asked her what she was doing and she replied, “paying bills”. The officer then learned that Ingram had a warrant for her arrest. 

The officer took Ingraham into custody. While conducting a search incident to arrest, Ingraham stated she possessed a “loke”. The officer knows that a “loke” is a glass pipe commonly used to smoke methamphetamine. The officer located the pipe in Ingraham's pocket. He also discovered a clear plastic baggie containing apparent tobacco, which was later determined to be marijuana, and folded money. He also felt something hard folded into the money. 

While transporting Ingraham to Missoula County Detention Center, the officer contacted her probation officer. The probation officer asked the officer to search Ingraham's property. At the jail, the officer located a clear crystalline substance folded inside Ingraham's money. He recognized it as methamphetamine. The TruNarc scanner presumptively confirmed that the substance was methamphetamine. 

READ MORE: Missoula News – Crime Reports 

Ingraham is currently being charged with felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. Her bond was set at $15,000. 

The information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.