Nashua man and woman charged with possession

Tracy Lynn Stoen, 54, Nashua, and Lance Wayne Anderson, 57, Nashua, were charged in Morrison County District Court with felony counts of first degree possession of a controlled substance.

The charges stem from a Sept. 17 incident, when a trooper with the Minnesota State Patrol was requested to assist the BCA with an ongoing investigation related to drug trafficking in Central Minnesota. The trooper was provided with a description of a suspect vehicle traveling west from the Mille Lacs casino through Morrison County, per the report. The suspect driver of the vehicle was identified as Anderson. Anderson also had a female occupant in the vehicle.

According to the report, the trooper located the suspect vehicle traveling on Highway 115 on the outskirts of Randall. The suspect vehicle was clocked speeding on radar and did not properly turn off its bright lights as it passed. The trooper turned to follow and noted that the rear plate was obstructed with dirt and mud and the taillight appeared to be cracked. The trooper stopped the suspect vehicle and confirmed the driver was Anderson. The passenger was identified as Stoen.

While speaking to Anderson and Stoen, the trooper noted a number of indicators of drug use that made him suspicious. Anderson and Stoen were separated and questioned. They allegedly gave conflicting accounts about where they had been. The trooper conducted a K9 search of the vehicle. The K9 alerted on the vehicle, according to the report.

The trooper located a multicolored pouch in the center console containing three bags that later field-tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed a total of 16 grams, per the report. In the trunk of the vehicle there was a woman’s bag with Stoen’s mail and medications. The bag contained a plastic bag containing a substance that was later field-tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed a total of 698 grams.

Anderson allegedly denied that the methamphetamine was his. Stoen allegedly initially denied knowledge of the methamphetamine, but later admitted that her DNA and/or prints would be on the large bags of meth located in the trunk. She allegedly admitted she and Anderson met up with a woman south of the Mille Lacs casino and picked up the methamphetamine. She allegedly admitted to putting the bags in the trunk of the vehicle at Anderson’s direction, according to the report.

If convicted on the felony charges, Stoen and Anderson each face up to 30 years imprisonment and/or a $1 million fine.