Hesse

BROWN COUNTY — A 35-year-old rural New Ulm woman faces four charges after her husband called law enforcement about the alleged presence of methamaphetamine in their rural New Ulm residence July 2.

Charges including felony third-degree drug possession, gross misdemeanor child endangerment, misdemeanor fleeing a peace officer and petty misdemeanor drug paraphernalia possession were filed against Katie J. Hesse, 13025 Meadow Creek Drive in Brown County District Court July 3.

A Rule 8 court hearing was set for 9 a.m., July 15.

Hesse was released on $15,000 bail with conditions including no alcohol/controlled substance use and complying with curfew restrictions.

According to the complaint, Brown County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Justin Kitzberger got a phone call at 9:41 p.m. July 1 regarding the presence of methamphetamine in a rural residence. The caller said he wanted to report he found his wife’s methamphetamine at his house but was too shaken up to talk at the time.

After a brief time, the caller said he left his Searles residence after he found his wife’s stash of meth in the garage and wanted to take his son somewhere safe before calling police.

The caller gave law enforcement permission to search his residence and agreed to meet officers at the Searles Community Center parking lot, where he would lead them to his residence.

At the residence, Kitzberger walked into the garage where Katie Hesse was sitting. She noticed him, stood up and ran for the door that connects to the house. Kitzberger told her to stop but she did not comply and he grabbed her by the arm.

Kitzberger handcuffed Hesse to restrain her and gain her compliance for her safety and his. Her husband dumped the contents of a pick bag on the freezer and held up bags of a crystal-like substance.

From Kitzberger’s prior training and experience, he recognized the substance in the bags as meth.

Hesse’s husband showed officers multiple pipes commonly used to smoke meth and told Brown County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Jeremy Reed he took the pink purse out of Hesse’s hand while Kitzberger was trying to gain her compliance.

Kitzberger searched the area where Hesse was sitting and found another meth pipe inside a desk drawer, added it to the items on the freezer, photographed them and placed them in an evidence bag.

Kitzberger placed items in an evidence bag and secured them in a squad car. The items included pink purse, two meth pipes, three baggies with a crystal-like substance in them, a clear canister with a crystal-like substance, a clear bottle, a USB flash drive, a bullet, a glass straw, a wood pick, a “one-hitter,” and a metal canister with prescription pills inside it.

Hesse’s husband told officers that his wife’s children, ages nine and 16, live at the residence.

At the Brown County Law Enforcement Center (LEC), Kitzberger tested the crystal-substances in the baggies and canister. All four tests came back blue, indicating a positive test for methamphatmine.

Kitzberger weighed the methamphetamine at 13.4 grams without the containers, on a non-certified scale.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.