Deputy Involved in Double-Fatal Fergus Falls Pursuit Faces Drug Use Charges

FERGUS FALLS, MN (trfnews.i234.me) An Otter Tail County Deputy involved in an October 2, 2020 pursuit of a suspect, who crashed into a vehicle killing a Fergus Falls, Minnesota couple has now been charged with drug use during the pursuit. Kelly Backman has been charged with Misconduct of a Public Officer and DWI.
a 43 year old ottertail county deputy kelly bachmann is now facing charges of uh alleged drug use while taking part in a deadly pursuit last october second october on october 2nd bachmann was working as a narcotics officer trying to make it buy from cody freetag when a pursuit started and free tag crashed into another vehicle here in fergus falls killing stephen and diane christensen deputy kelly bachmann has now been charged with gross misdemeanor misconduct by a public officer and misdemeanor dwi operate a motor vehicle under the influence of a controlled substance in this case fentanyl now following the crash a detective and lieutenant were called in to help with the investigation and made contact with the two deputies who took part in it deputy michael wing and deputy kelly bachmann reading from the criminal complaint quote the deputy wing was asked to provide a voluntary blood sample which he did the result of the test showed no ethyl alcohol or controlled substance and deputy wing system while he was on duty or while he was acting in his official capacity as a deputy detective uh and lieutenant also made contact with deputy bachmann and requested a voluntary blood sample which deputy bachmann refused to provide deputy bachmann provided a preliminary breath test that showed no presence of ethyl alcohol deputy bachmann was taken to the ottertail sheriff’s office where he obs was observed and accompanied until a blood sample could be drawn a blood sample was taken and sent to a local laboratory for testing the results of the blood sample indicated that deputy backman during the time he was acting in his official capacity as a deputy and operating an official vehicle belonging to the drug task force that he was positive for alpha zolem that’s a anxiety drug which deputy bachmann was prescribed deputy deputy bachmann also tested positive for fentanyl and nor fentanyl which is a schedule 2 controlled substance the quantitative test results showed a level of fentanyl at three nanograms per milliliter and the level for nor fentanyl at 1.7 nanograms per milliliter a therapeutic range for fentanyl would indicate one nanogram per milliliter and would indicate that deputy bachmann was under the influence of fentanyl a controlled substance at the time he was operating his squad car as part of the investigation fergus falls police served a search warrant to obtain the blood draw evidence as well as determining that certain discrepancies existed involving some of deputy bachmann’s work as a narcotics investigator case file which occurred on august 17th of 2020 the case was a traffic stop in which methamphetamine and fentanyl were found those items were logged into evidence and accounted for deputy bachmann stated in his report that a glass pipe laced with methamphetamine residue was discovered in the glove box of the car wrapped in tissue paper this item was not logged and was not accounted for in the case which occurred in another case uh dated august 29 2020 the case was a traffic stop where the driver was arrested for driving uh under the influence of a controlled substance deputy bachmann indicated in his report that he received information that the occupants of the vehicle may be in possession of heroin and were coming to the area to make contact with someone who sells heroin and fentanyl deputy bachmann indicated in his report that he located drug paraphernalia that included tin foil that appeared to have been used to smoke controlled substances as well as a vial of a white powdery substance deputy bachmann indicated the the vial which he believed to contain either cocaine or fentanyl would be sent to the bca lab for further analysis there is no record that the evidence was ever logged or sent to the bca for testing as part of the search warrant officers went through deputy bachmann’s desk and lockers as part of the search a large baggie of glass pipes and grinders were located and seized officers attempted to determine if any of the pipes were similar in descriptions to the ones missing from the case files but none were located also located in deputy backman’s office was a small plastic vial with no lid that appeared to be empty with just a few small areas of what appeared to be white residue the vial was seized and inventoried finally officers searched a temporary evidence locker that only deputy bachmann had access to and located a pelican style case that had tin foil that appeared burnt also in the case was a small uh plastic was a small plastic bottle with a blue lid that contained a white powdery substance as well as a scale it was determined that these items could match items for them from another case but it was inconclusive unquote that was from the criminal complaint and now this email to inews from ottertail county sheriff barry fitzgibbons regarding a deputy bachmann’s employment status quote i received your inquiry in gravity regarding deputy bachmann on friday february 19th 2021 ottertail county sheriff’s office deputy kelly bachman was charged with misconduct of a public official and fourth degree dwi as a result of his involvement in the pursuit on october second twenty twenty the alleged facts in the criminal investigation are disappointing and not indicative of the high standards we set for law enforcement personnel there is an active administrative investigation now that the criminal investigation has been completed deputy kelly bachmann is currently employed with the ottertail county sheriff’s office until completion of the administrative investigation i will be unable to comment further that was from sheriff barry fitzgibbons of ottertail county we’ll keep you updated on this ongoing investigation i’m Neil Berg reporting for trfnews.i234.me