Cass Lake woman gets probation for possession

Bryanne Roberta Washington, 39, Cass Lake, previously of Bemidji, was sentenced in Morrison County District Court to five years of supervised probation for first degree possession of a controlled substance and a $50 fine.

The charges stem from a single incident that occurred on Feb. 28, 2022.

A trooper with the Minnesota State Patrol was on routine patrol on Highway 10 in Morrison County when he observed a vehicle pass by him wherein a male passenger appeared to slump back in his seat in an effort to conceal his appearance. The trooper stopped the suspect vehicle for speeding and identified the driver as Washington.

Washington did not have a valid driver’s license and could not find proof of insurance. The passenger had a warrant out for his arrest. The trooper noted that Washington had bloodshot eyes consistent with recent drug use, and the passenger appeared to be actively impaired.

The trooper also observed needle marks on the passenger’s wrists and hands and detected an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.

The trooper conducted a search of the vehicle, during which he found a meth pipe hidden in the center console. There was a Target bag in the back seat of the vehicle that contained men’s clothing and a bottle of spray laundry stain remover. There was also a Tupperware container that appeared to contain a large quantity of methamphetamine.

Washington denied knowledge of the methamphetamine when the trooper showed her the Target bag, though she did acknowledge the other items inside of the bag. Both occupants of the vehicle were placed under arrest and transported to the Morrison County Jail.

While at jail, Washington told law enforcement she picked up the passenger from a sober house. She claimed the Target bag was in his bedroom and they put the clothes and her bottle of stain remover in the bag. She still denied knowledge of the large Tupperware container of meth.

The trooper asked Washington for consent to look at the messages in her cellphone. She denied consent but admitted that there was “drug talk” on her phone, including messages about sales, as people come to her looking for pills, weed and meth.

The passenger told law enforcement that he smoked methamphetamine with Washington at the sober house. He said the drugs were not his, but admitted knowledge of them being inside the Target bag. He also acknowledged that the clothes inside the bag were his and that the spray bottle belonged to Washington.

The methamphetamine in the Tupperware container field-tested positive and weighed 470 grams — about 1.036 pounds — in the container.