Thief River Falls Man Faces Felony Meth Charge

Thief River Falls (trfnews.i234.me) — A Thief River Falls man faces a felony drug charge following a September 10 investigation.

Jesse Mark Alan Wheeler, 37, is charged in Pennington County District Court.

Wheeler faces one count of third-degree controlled substance possession.

The charge involves alleged methamphetamine possession inside a park zone.

The case is filed under court number 57-CR-26-652.

Investigation Leads To Search

According to the criminal complaint, Wheeler met with an investigator on September 10.

During that meeting, Wheeler allegedly admitted using methamphetamine the previous day.

The complaint says investigators also reviewed recent conversations on Wheeler’s phone.

Authorities believed some messages appeared connected to controlled substance sales from his residence.

Wheeler was then taken into custody on a Department of Corrections warrant.

The warrant involved alleged methamphetamine use, according to the complaint.

Investigators later went to Wheeler’s Thief River Falls residence to conduct a search.

The complaint states the home is within 300 feet of a park zone.

A police K9 alerted near a dresser during the search, according to the complaint.

Investigators then located a hidden drawer in the dresser.

Inside were three small plastic bags containing a white crystalline substance.

A clear container holding another white crystalline substance was also found.

Authorities reported finding additional drug paraphernalia inside the drawer.

A field test returned a presumptive positive result for methamphetamine, according to the complaint.

The suspected substance weighed about two grams on an uncertified scale.

The complaint says the suspected methamphetamine will undergo further testing.

That analysis is expected to be completed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Wheeler is charged under Minnesota Statute 152.023.

The complaint lists a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The charge also carries a possible $250,000 fine, or both penalties.

The filing also lists several prior convictions, including earlier felony drug cases.

The current case was filed with an order of detention in Minnesota’s Ninth Judicial District.

More court information is available through the Minnesota Judicial Branch.

A criminal complaint contains allegations and does not establish guilt.

Wheeler is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

I’m Adrian Cole reporting for TRF News.