Thief River Falls stop leads to refusal, drug charges

Pennington County (trfnews.i234.me) — A St. Hilaire man faces several charges after a late-night traffic stop in the Thief River Falls area.

Charges listed in the complaint

Jeremiah Charles Hasnedl, 46, of St. Hilaire, is charged in Pennington County.

The complaint lists third-degree refusal to submit to a breath test.

It also lists gross misdemeanor, fifth-degree controlled substance possession.

He is also charged with misdemeanor legend drug possession.

Another charge is a misdemeanor open package of cannabis.

Hasnedl was arrested, according to the complaint.

The stop happened on Dec. 16 at about 12 a.m.

It occurred near Pennington Avenue and Hickory Road, court records say.

An officer reported signs of impairment while speaking with Hasnedl.

Hasnedl declined a preliminary breath test, according to the complaint.

He denied drinking alcohol, the complaint says.

He also denied that medicines affected his driving.

After Hasnedl was handcuffed, he was searched, the complaint states.

The officer reported finding a pill container on him.

The container allegedly held one amphetamine-dextroamphetamine pill.

The complaint describes that pill as a Schedule II controlled substance.

The container also allegedly held seven cyclobenzaprine pills.

The complaint calls cyclobenzaprine a prescription-only drug.

Police also reported marijuana wax found in a squad vehicle.

When fastening a seat belt, the officer reported smelling alcohol.

A DMT breath test later showed 0.185 blood alcohol content, records say.

A second sample first showed 0.13, then later became invalid.

The complaint lists mouth alcohol and sample delivery issues.

A sergeant then offered another DMT test, the complaint states.

The next test again showed an invalid sample, according to records.

The complaint says Hasnedl could blow into the mouthpiece when shown.

The sergeant believed Hasnedl blocked the machine, the complaint says.

That belief led to the refusal charge, according to court records.

DWI-related laws in Minnesota are in Chapter 169A.

Controlled substance laws are in Chapter 152.

Prescription drug rules are covered under Chapter 151.

I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.