3 drug suspects in jail, held on $300,000 bail
By FRITZ BUSCH Journal Staff WriterNEW ULM - Unconditional cash bail for two Michigan women and an Arizona man charged with Felony Third Degree Sale of a Controlled Substance crimes was set at $300,000 each Tuesday in Brown County District Court.
Judge John R. Rodenberg did not set any bail conditions for the suspects arrested Jan. 3, at the New Ulm Microtel by a task force sting operation that netted the largest local drug bust in recent years.
More than 40 pounds of a green, leafy substance contained in bags field-tested for marijuana was found in two cellophane-wrapped bales by the Brown, Lyon, and Redwood County Drug Task Force.
The weekend arrest followed an earlier arrest that led to the seizure of 44 pounds of marijuana believed to involve one of the three suspects.
The total estimate street value of the two busts was estimated at $264,000 by law enforcement.
Bridget R. Clemons, 38, of Grand Haven, Mich.; Sally J. Dora, 58, of White Cloud, Mich.; and Marvin L. Buckner, Jr., 34, of Yuma, Ariz. all requested court-appointed attorneys Tuesday.
According to the complaint, Buckner flew to Minnesota and was to complete the transaction involving marijuana transported by motor vehicle from Arizona to New Ulm for delivery.
At 2:47 p.m., Jan. 3, surveillance observed a vehicle in the New Ulm Microtel parking lot registered to a Detroit, Mich. rental agency, according to the complaint.
Communication between law enforcement and Buckner later in the day revealed that Buckner's delivery person arrived with the marijuana, according to the complaint.
At about 8:45 p.m., law enforcement executed a search warrant and entered a room rented for Buckner, according to the complaint.
Buckner, Clemons and Dora were in the room along with the marijuana that was later weighed on a New Ulm Post Office scale.
Task Force Commander Jeff Hohensee and Assistant Brown County Attorney John Yost, who is prosecuting the case, agreed with the suspect's unconditional cash bail amount.
Yost added that Buckner may get another Third-Degree Controlled Substance charge in the case.
Maximum penalty for the charges are up to 20 years incarceration and up to a $250,000 fine.
The suspects are scheduled for a court appearance at 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 20 in Brown County District Court.
They are being held in the Brown County Jail.
Prior to the hearing Tuesday, Hohensee praised the task force and the ability to work with others like it and other law enforcement agencies.
He added that the task force needs funding to be able to buy drugs to create drug sale cases.
"We don't get all the deals, but drug dealers know we're here and that deters crime," said Hohensee.
Agencies assisting in the drug sting included the Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Brown and Blue Earth County Sheriff's Offices and police from New Ulm, Mankato, and Sleepy Eye.
(Fritz Busch can be e-mailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).
