PENNINGTON COUNTY, MN (trfnews.i234.me) — A 37-year-old Red Lake Falls man, Nicholas Walter Johnson, waived his Nov. 26 omnibus hearing and entered a plea of not guilty to first-degree sale of a controlled substance in Pennington County. Johnson faces up to 30 years in prison; however, state sentencing guidelines recommend a term between 56 and 150 months based on prior criminal history.
The Pine to Prairie Drug Task Force began investigating Johnson in August 2023. A confidential informant arranged to purchase an ounce of methamphetamine from Johnson for $2,000. The transaction occurred in Thief River Falls, where the informant received multiple bags of a crystalline substance. Law enforcement later confirmed the substance, weighing 29.8 grams, presumptively tested positive for methamphetamine.
Johnson’s next court date, a pre-trial hearing, is scheduled for Jan. 7 at 1:30 p.m.
I’m Chris Harper, reporting for trfnews.i234.me