Cass Lake Foot Chase Ends in Felony Drug Charge

Cass Lake (trfnews.i234.me) — Derek James Hunt faces two charges after a foot chase and an alleged methamphetamine discovery.

A Cass County court complaint charges Hunt with fifth-degree drug possession, a felony. He also faces misdemeanor fleeing on foot.

The case was filed in Minnesota’s Ninth Judicial District under court file 11-CR-26-756.

Investigators Locate Hunt in Cass Lake

According to the complaint, officers received information about Hunt’s location on May 30, 2026.

Authorities believed Hunt had an active arrest warrant from Beltrami County.

The complaint says Hunt was near a home on Basswood Avenue in Cass Lake.

An investigator later saw a man matching Hunt’s description nearby.

Authorities identified the man as Hunt and directed him to approach.

The complaint alleges Hunt entered an alley and ran away.

Investigators searched the area and returned to the reported home.

They allegedly saw Hunt trying to enter the residence.

Another law enforcement vehicle arrived with emergency lights and a siren.

Hunt allegedly ran again before stopping and falling to the ground.

He was arrested without any further reported struggle, according to the complaint.

Authorities searched Hunt after the arrest.

The complaint says they found a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.

The substance weighed 0.51 grams with its packaging, court documents state.

Prosecutors allege Hunt possessed methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.

The felony charge carries a maximum five-year sentence, a $10,000 fine, or both.

Readers can review Minnesota’s fifth-degree drug possession law through the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes.

The fleeing charge carries a maximum 90-day jail sentence, a $1,000 fine, or both.

Minnesota’s fleeing law also appears on the Revisor’s website.

The complaint lists earlier controlled-substance convictions in Morrison, Hubbard, and Cass counties.

Those records include fifth-degree and third-degree drug convictions.

The court filing also contains a date conflict.

Count II lists May 30, 2025, while the probable-cause section states May 30, 2026.

The case remains pending in Cass County District Court.

Charges contained in a court complaint are allegations, not proof of guilt.

Hunt is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

I’m Adrian Cole reporting for TRF News.