Spokane Valley woman suspected of selling meth near school

A Spokane Valley woman with a history of drug-related arrests was again taken into custody Saturday after investigators said she was dealing methamphetamine from her residence near a school. Melanie Richart, who also goes by the name Christopherson, was booked into Spokane County Jail this weekend on drug possession and delivery charges. Richart, 44, has several drug-related convictions dating back to 1999 in Spokane County, according to court records. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office used an informant in January to make multiple purchases of meth from Richart at an apartment near the Dishman Hills Natural Area and Valley Christian School. When confronted with evidence suggesting the sale and use of the drug, Richart told police she sold meth because she was addicted to the drug and needed money for food, according to court documents. A search of Richart’s apartment and car yielded a scale, a pipe and drugs that tested positive as meth, according to investigators. Because her apartment is within 1,000 feet of Valley Christian, Richart faces a potential enhanced sentence on two counts of delivering a controlled substance. She also faces one count of possessing a controlled substance. Prosecutors will ask for bail of $50,000 at a court appearance this afternoon, according to jail records.