Brown County

District Court

Christian Guevara, 18, Cold Spring and Oscar A. M. Melendez, 21, Waite Park were charged Tuesday with felony fifth-degree drug possession-not small amount marijuana, gross misdemeanor fifth-degree drug possession and petty misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to court documents, at 2:42 a.m., Aug. 6, Springfield Police observed a blue sedan eastbound on Highway 14 that appeared to be speeding through a 35 mph speed limit near the intersection of Rock St. E. and Jefferson Ave. Police clocked the vehicle at 41 mph and pursued the suspect going 74 mph in a 55 mph zone.

Stopping the vehicle, police observed the driver making a furtive movement reaching back behind his seat. Police smelled an odor of fresh and burnt marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. The driver was identified as Melendez. Guevara was a rear passenger.

Police asked the driver if anyone had smoked marijuana. The driver said he smoked marijuana in the vehicle in Colorado and handed the officer an empty marijuana tube container that appeared to be rinsed out and cleaned. Police found a pink zip case in the rear seat area with suspected marijuana paraphernalia and plant residue. Inside a bag, police found several black packages of marijuana wax, a resinous form of marijuana, a white towel with a glass bong wrapped in it and a butane lighter.

In the trunk, police found six black pill style containers. Each canister was labeled to contain 3.5 grams of marijuana and it appeared the appropriate amounts were still in the containers. A dark chocolate bar was labeled to contain 100 mg of THC, had 10 doses inside and a net weight of 30 grams. All three people in the vehicle were arrested and taken to the Brown County Jail.

A passenger told police they purchased 10 3.5 gram containers of marijuana in Colorado and spent about $200 on marijuana wax that they brought to Minnesota. All three people were booked and released.

Gerardo A. Rangel, 22, 105 Van Buren Ave. N., Springfield, was charged Tuesday with felony fifth-degree drug possession-not small amount of marijuana, gross misdemeanor fifth-degree drug possession-not small amount of marijuana, misdemeanor drug possession over 1.4 grams in motor vehicle and gross misdemeanor driving must carry proof of insurance when operating vehicle.

According to court documents, New Ulm Police were on patrol at 1:36 a.m., on Aug. 14, 2016 when saw a green 1996 Mazda Protege southbound on Valley St. that drifted toward the curb on the west side of the road. Police stopped the vehicle, were overtaken by an overwhelming odor of raw marijuana and identified the driver as Rangel. He admitted he had just smoked marijuana and revealed a ziploc bac containing a green, leafy substance consistent with marijuana. The substance later tested positive for THC and weighed 5.03 grams without the bag.

Police found a glass pipe commonly used to smoke marijuana and a clear, baggie with a white substance recognized as cocaine in the vehicle. Rangel was arrested. Police tested the powdery substance with an NIK kit and it tested positive for cocaine and weighed .77 grams including the baggie.

Derek R. Sanchez, 30, 1507 Highway 14, New Ulm, was charged Friday with felony threats of violence, two counts of fifth-degree drug possession-not small amount of marijuana, misdemeanor fifth-degree assault and disorderly conduct.

According to court documents, New Ulm Police observed an older green Cavalier turn east onto 7th North St. with front headlights emitting a pink light on both sides, then stopped for a stop sign halfway past it. Police stopped the car, identified the driver who only had an instruction permit and did not have it when asked. Police identified a rear-seat passenger as Sanchez, who was recognized for having an active Sibley County arrest warrant, that was confirmed by dispatch.

Police asked him to exit the vehicle, advised him of the warrant and he became belligerent. Police found two dirty q-tips with black residue in his pocket and he was placed in the rear of the squad car. Police also got a marijuana pipe with burnt residue and a marijuana odor about it.

Searching the vehicle interior, police found a marijuana grinder with a small amount of marijuana in it, a small glas pipe with burnt residue and marijuana odor, a clear meth pipe with white cloudy and burnt residue and a small butane torch.

On the way to jail, Sanchez continued yelling and swearing, that police were planting other people’s things on him, made comments about where police lived and about their family and kids, who lived near him. He said he was coming after police, that he won’t be locked up forever, even lunged at police a few times, while blocked by correctional officers, then made more threats.

Sanchez was convicted of a second-degree controlled substance crime on April 17, 2006 in Brown County Court.