Beltrami County (trfnews.i234.me) – A Ponemah man is facing multiple charges, including drug possession and DWI, following a traffic stop in Bemidji on July 21, 2025.
According to court documents, an officer observed a vehicle fail to signal 100 feet before turning at 11th Street Northwest and Mississippi Avenue Northwest. After initiating a traffic stop, police identified the driver as 43-year-old Melvin Mitch Wilson.
Officers reported Wilson displayed signs of impairment, including glassy eyes, slow speech, and constricted pupils. During questioning, Wilson admitted to recent drug use, including injecting methamphetamine within the past 24 hours, smoking fentanyl in the last two days, and taking non-prescribed suboxone earlier that day.
Field sobriety tests were conducted, and Wilson allegedly stated he did not feel safe to drive. A search incident to arrest revealed two tinfoil bindles in Wilson’s wallet, which later tested positive for fentanyl. A blood or urine sample was also obtained under a search warrant and sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for analysis.
Wilson is charged with fifth-degree possession of fentanyl, a gross misdemeanor, and DWI involving a Schedule I or II drug, a misdemeanor.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.