Detroit Lakes: Felony DWI, Meth Case Ends in Prison

Detroit Lakes, Becker County (trfnews.i234.me)

A Detroit Lakes man has been sentenced for felony DWI and felony fifth-degree drug possession.

Jareth James Krogen, 38, of Detroit Lakes, was sentenced in Becker County District Court, according to court documents.

Late-night stop on Highway 59

Court documents say the incident happened on June 19 at about 11:37 p.m.

A Becker County deputy was on patrol near U.S. Highway 59 and Brandy Lake Road in Detroit Lakes.

The deputy reported the vehicle’s license plate light was not working.

The deputy turned around and followed the vehicle south on Highway 59.

Documents say the vehicle braked and turned into a driveway.

The deputy said the driver did not signal at least 100 feet before turning.

The driver ran from the vehicle

As the deputy got closer, documents say a man jumped from the driver’s door.

The man ran west through a yard, according to the record.

The deputy chased him and yelled for him to stop, records say.

The deputy also warned he had a K-9, according to court documents.

Krogen was arrested without incident, the filing says.

Court documents say Krogen’s license was canceled as being inimical to public safety.

Meth and pipes were found inside

Documents say Krogen asked to get his phone from the vehicle.

The driver’s door was still open, the record says.

Krogen told the deputy a meth pipe was in plain view, documents say.

He also told the deputy there could be more in a case, the filing says.

The deputy checked the case and found another glass smoking device, records say.

Under Krogen’s shoe on the floorboard was a small plastic bag, documents say.

The bag was later field-tested positive for methamphetamine, the record says.

Court documents list the weight as 1.54 grams, including packaging.

Krogen told the deputy the meth was his, according to the filing.

Statements at the jail

At the jail, the deputy administered field sobriety tests, court documents say.

Krogen admitted smoking marijuana and meth a few hours earlier, records say.

He also said he was “really stoned,” according to the filing.

His blood was drawn at a hospital and sent to the BCA for testing, the record says.

Prison sentence and restitution

On Nov. 25, Becker County District Judge Gretchen Thilmony sentenced Krogen.

On the first count, he received 62 months in prison at St. Cloud.

He received credit for 160 days served, according to court documents.

Conditional release after confinement was set at five years.

On the second count, he received 21 months in prison.

That sentence will run at the same time as the first count, records say.

The court ordered $1,200 in restitution.

The court also ordered $135 in fines and fees.

Records say the money will be taken from prison earnings.

Other cases dropped in plea deal

Court documents say prosecutors dismissed a separate felony fifth-degree drug case.

That case was dated Oct. 27, 2024, according to the record.

In that case, prosecutors alleged Krogen had nearly a gram of meth in a home.

Records say he was staying there when police came to arrest him.

Prosecutors also dismissed a felony check forgery case, records say.

In that case, prosecutors alleged Krogen took check blanks from a home.

They alleged he wrote two $600 checks to himself, records say.

The record says the checks were cashed at Bell Bank in Detroit Lakes.

Public records

Charging documents are allegations, and cases are decided in court.

Public case updates may appear on Minnesota Court Records Online.

Related links

• Minnesota statute: Driving while impaired (169A.20)
• Minnesota statute: Fifth-degree drug crime (152.025)
• Minnesota statute: License eligibility and “inimical” (171.04)
• MCRO case search
• Becker County District Court information
• Minnesota BCA overview
• Minnesota Correctional Facility – St. Cloud

I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.