Mahnomen man convicted on possession charge

Cole Donte Brown, 23, Mahnomen, was sentenced in Morrison County District Court to 45 days in local confinement with work release and sentence to serve if eligible and five years of supervised probation and fined $660 for one felony count of second-degree possession of a controlled substance. One felony count of first-degree possession of a controlled substance was dismissed.

If Brown breaks the conditions of his supervised probation, which include completing outpatient treatment, completing cognitive skill training and submitting to random testing, he faces up to four years in a correctional facility.

The charges stem from a Sept. 11, 2023 incident, when a trooper of the Minnesota State Patrol was on stationary patrol in the City of Motley, observing westbound traffic on Highway 10. According to the report, the trooper noted it was lightly raining, and the roads were wet.

The trooper observed a vehicle pass by that did not have its headlights on even though it was raining, and the taillights were not illuminated. He noted a backseat passenger not wearing a seatbelt. He also noted the male driver and male front passenger both slumped and ducked back in their seats to conceal themselves as they passed by his squad car, according to the report.

The suspect vehicle quickly exited off of Highway 10 and pulled into a gas station parking lot, per the report. The suspect vehicle allegedly failed to properly signal the turn.

According to the report, the suspect vehicle pulled up to the gas station building and the trooper pulled up next to the suspect vehicle. The front male passenger attempted to quickly exit the vehicle and walk away, but the trooper called over to him and asked him to wait. The male passenger was later identified as Brown.

Per the report, Brown had bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils. He had open sores on his face and his skin tone was flushed. These are all signs of recent drug use. The trooper requested identification from the driver and passengers. Brown allegedly grabbed a fanny pack from his left side and removed a wallet from the front zipper portion, per the report. When the fanny pack was opened, the trooper could see bags of white and off-white powder drugs in plain view in a yellow and another clear baggie. Brown was allegedly trying to conceal the bags after opening the fanny pack.

According to the report, Brown was placed in the rear of the trooper’s squad car after initially denying there were drugs in the bag. He then allegedly changed his story and stated the drugs and the bags belonged to his cousin, and he was bringing the bag up north to someone. Brown would not say where he was bringing the bag.

The trooper later examined the contents of the bag. According to the report, one of the bags contained 57 grams of a substance that later field-tested positive for fentanyl. A second bag weighed 31 grams and later field-tested positive for methamphetamine. Another bag weighed 7.5 grams and field-tested positive for cocaine. Cash and marijuana were found as well.