Kraus

NEW ULM — A 27-year-old New Ulm — who claims hitchhikers she picked up near Nicollet left a methamphetamine pipe in her truck — faces two drug charges in Brown County District Court.

Charges of storing methamphetamine paraphernalia (a felony) and child endangerment (a gross misdemeanor ) were filed Monday against Breah H. Kraus, 726 S. Jefferson St. A Zoom bail hearing was set for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.

According to court documents, New Ulm Police were dispatched to 726 Jefferson St. S. for a welfare check at 6:43 p.m. Sunday, May 24. The caller said a child about two years old was playing inside a vehicle without adult supervision and that the child was inside the house alone.

A witness said she brought the boy in the residence and tried to get the attention of an adult inside, but nobody came to the door. The witness said she later saw the boy in a second story window that was open without a screen. The caller said she was afraid the child might fall out of the window.

Police went to the residence, knocked on the door and rang the door bell before it was answered by a young boy. Other police arrived, trying to find a parent in the house. They observed a glass pipe with a stem and bulb commonly used for smoking methamphetamine, noticed white residue on it and field tested the pipe, presuming it was positive for methamphetamine.

Police found the child’s mother, Kraus, upstairs sleeping. She said the meth pipe was not hers and that she was going to Mankato. She said she picked up a couple people hitchhiking near Nicollet that must have left the meth pipe in her truck.

A warrant was later granted and the house was searched. Several more pieces of paraphernalia were located.

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