Polk County (trfnews.i234.me) A Grand Forks man faces two felony drug charges and one gross misdemeanor count after a traffic stop in East Grand Forks, according to a criminal complaint filed in Polk County.
Editor’s note: A criminal complaint contains allegations. Charges are not convictions.
Court records identify the defendant as Christopher Anthony Gaines, 32, of Grand Forks. The case is listed in Polk County District Court under file 60-CR-26-400. Public records can be searched through Minnesota Court Records Online.
Charges Filed
The complaint says Gaines is charged with third-degree controlled substance crime for sale, third-degree controlled substance crime for possession in a prohibited zone, and second-degree refusal to submit to testing under a search warrant.
The drug charges were filed under Minnesota Statute 152.023. The test-refusal charge cites Minnesota Statute 169A.20.
What the Complaint Says
According to the complaint, a state trooper stopped a white Chevrolet Equinox on March 26, 2026, on U.S. Business Highway 2 in East Grand Forks. The vehicle did not have a front license plate.
The complaint says Gaines first gave a false name. Investigators then found a North Dakota identification card in the vehicle. The card allegedly showed his real name.
The complaint says investigators also learned Gaines had an active Minnesota Department of Corrections warrant. He was arrested at the scene.
Investigators wrote that Gaines showed signs of impairment. The complaint says he admitted using marijuana before the stop. It also says officers suspected drug impairment.
A passenger, Raelyn Marie Peltier, was also in the vehicle. According to the complaint, Peltier later told investigators Gaines gave her methamphetamine as the stop began. The complaint says she hid the drug and later turned over a baggie that appeared to contain meth.
Investigators also allege Gaines gave Peltier meth the day before at her Crookston home. The complaint says part of the route before the stop went through park zones near O’Leary Park and LaFave Park in East Grand Forks.
The complaint further states Gaines refused to provide a blood or urine sample after a judge signed a search warrant.
Prior Record Cited
The complaint says Gaines has prior convictions in Minnesota and North Dakota. It also says he was on supervised release and had an active warrant at the time of the stop.
Gaines remains charged, not convicted, in the new case. Further hearings will be scheduled in Polk County District Court.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.