Battle Lake Woman Charged After Toddler Tests Positive
Jozee Ray Lee, 23, is charged in Otter Tail County District Court.
The complaint lists fifth-degree drug possession as a felony.
It also lists child endangerment as a gross misdemeanor.
Hospital Visit Leads to Investigation
Deputies were called to an Elbow Lake hospital on March 29, 2026.
Medical staff had treated a 23-month-old girl following possible cocaine exposure.
The complaint says Lee saw the child chewing on a cut pink straw.
White residue was visible inside the straw, according to the filing.
A toxicology test later showed cocaine in the child’s system, the complaint alleges.
Lee told investigators that she was folding laundry in a bedroom.
She said the child found the straw inside a nightstand drawer.
Lee then contacted relatives before taking the child for medical care, according to the complaint.
Search Finds Alleged Cocaine
Investigators later obtained a search warrant for the Battle Lake home.
Before the search, Lee described another bag stored inside a dresser drawer.
She said she found the bag inside Nicholas Scott Olson’s jacket in January.
Lee told investigators she moved the bag into her dresser, where it remained.
The complaint says deputies found the pink straw inside the nightstand.
They also found a bag containing a substance believed to be cocaine.
The drawer was near the child’s eye level, according to the court filing.
Both items field-tested positive for cocaine.
The bag’s contents weighed 7.3 grams, the complaint alleges.
Charges and Possible Penalties
The felony charge falls under Minnesota Statute 152.025.
A conviction can carry five years in prison or a $10,000 fine.
The child endangerment charge falls under Minnesota Statute 609.378.
That charge can carry one year in jail or a $3,000 fine.
The case is filed as 56-CR-26-1171 in Minnesota’s Seventh Judicial District.
Readers can search public case information through Minnesota Court Records Online.
A criminal complaint contains allegations.
Lee is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
