East Grand Forks (trfnews.i234.me) — An East Grand Forks woman is facing felony and gross misdemeanor charges after a March 4 traffic stop in Polk County.
This report is based on a criminal complaint filed in Polk County District Court. Charges are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Charges Filed
Elisa Marie Rodriguez, 27, is charged in Polk County District Court.
The complaint lists felony fifth-degree drug possession.
It also lists gross misdemeanor, second-degree driving while impaired.
Court records show the case was filed under court file 60-CR-26-303.
According to the complaint, Rodriguez possessed methamphetamine on March 4 in East Grand Forks.
Prosecutors also allege she drove with methamphetamine in her body.
The complaint says two aggravating factors were present.
One was a prior DWI conviction from November 5, 2021.
The other was a child under age 16 inside the vehicle.
What The Complaint Alleges
According to court records, a welfare fraud specialist reported that Rodriguez appeared under the influence.
An officer then watched her vehicle outside her East Grand Forks residence.
The complaint says Rodriguez later got into the vehicle and drove away.
Police then made a traffic stop.
Investigators wrote that Rodriguez showed possible signs of impairment.
The complaint says she had glossy eyes and appeared disheveled.
It also says she had scabs on her face.
According to the filing, she showed problems during field sobriety testing.
Police then searched the vehicle, the complaint states.
Inside a pink wallet on the passenger seat, officers found a crystal substance.
That substance later tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the complaint.
The filing says the substance weighed 0.6 grams.
Officers also found a 9-month-old child in a car seat, court records state.
Statement And Test Results
The complaint says Rodriguez later gave a voluntary statement at the police department.
According to the filing, she said the meth was in her wallet.
She also said she believed the amount was less than a gram.
The complaint says she reported using meth in late February or early March.
Investigators also collected a urine sample.
That sample tested positive on-site for methamphetamine, according to the complaint.
Court records also say Rodriguez was on supervised probation in another Polk County case.
The complaint further notes a pending second-degree DWI case.
What Happens Next
The case will move through the Minnesota court process unless it is resolved earlier.
Readers can review the laws cited in the case here: fifth-degree drug possession, DWI law, and second-degree DWI.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.