Pennington County Man Gets 65 Months for Meth Sale
Pennington County (trfnews.i234.me) — A Red Lake Falls man has been sentenced to more than five years in prison after a jury found him guilty of selling methamphetamine in Pennington County.
Nicholas Walter Johnson, 38, received a 65-month sentence on November 25. The charge was felony first-degree sale of a controlled substance. A jury found Johnson guilty in October after a multi-day trial. Court records show he had earlier entered a not guilty plea in November 2024.
State sentencing guidelines recommend sentences between 56 and 150 months for the offense, depending on a person’s record. Johnson’s prison term falls on the low end of the guideline range. He will serve his time with the Minnesota Department of Corrections at the St. Cloud facility.
The Pine to Prairie Drug Task Force began investigating Johnson in August 2023. Officers believed Johnson was selling methamphetamine in the region. A confidential informant later arranged a buy for an ounce of meth for $2,000, according to a probable cause statement.
The informant met Johnson in Thief River Falls to complete the buy. After the meeting, the informant handed several bags of a crystal-like substance to law enforcement. The bags weighed 29.8 grams. The material tested positive for methamphetamine during a field test.
Court records show Johnson has been given credit for 65 days already served in custody. His sentence will now be carried out at the St. Cloud prison while he awaits a supervised release date, depending on his time served and conduct in custody.
The case is part of ongoing work by regional drug task forces to address meth distribution in northwest Minnesota. More information on Minnesota sentencing guidelines can be found through the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.