Missoula woman sentenced to over five years in prison for trafficking meth

MISSOULA - A Missoula woman who fled from a city park after trying to sell meth was sentenced today to five years and three months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Jody Lynn Pope, 30, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Pope, who also goes by Jody Lynn Nygaard, was dealing methamphetamine in Missoula. Law enforcement used an informant to set up a buy from Pope at Franklin Park on Dec. 10, 2025. Pope arrived in a vehicle driven by Brandon Gregory Genet, who sped away from the park when he spotted law enforcement. Genet was sentenced to prison on July 7, 2026, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Law enforcement found Pope on Dec. 11, 2025, who acknowledged to officers she had gone to Franklin Park the night before to sell 3 ounces of meth and that she had already sold 8 ounces of meth the previous week.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The FBI's Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force and DEA conducted the investigation.