{"id":38826,"date":"2026-07-23T13:07:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T18:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/?p=38826"},"modified":"2026-07-19T19:52:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T00:52:09","slug":"crookston-man-charged-after-gun-found-in-semi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/crookston-man-charged-after-gun-found-in-semi\/","title":{"rendered":"Crookston: Man Charged After Gun Found in Semi"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Crookston: Man Charged After Gun Found in Semi<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Polk County<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\">trfnews.i234.me<\/a>) \u2014 A Virginia man is facing criminal charges in Polk County after authorities say a loaded handgun was found inside his semi-truck during a traffic stop in Crookston.<\/p>\n<p>According to a criminal complaint filed in Minnesota District Court, Roger Dale Cooper, 62, of Ruckersville, Virginia, is charged with carrying or possessing a pistol without a permit in a public place.<\/p>\n<p>Cooper is also charged with fourth-degree driving while impaired involving an alleged controlled substance. The charges stem from an incident reported on June 25, 2026, in Crookston.<\/p>\n<h2>Traffic Stop Leads to Investigation<\/h2>\n<p>The complaint states the investigation began after a red semi pulling a trailer was seen traveling on U.S. Highway 2.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities said the truck did not display front or rear license plates. The semi also reportedly lacked required company markings and a DOT number.<\/p>\n<p>The driver was identified as Roger Dale Cooper. Court documents state Cooper told officials he did not have his wallet and could not provide his license at the scene.<\/p>\n<p>Cooper reportedly said his Virginia driver\u2019s license was valid. Court records also state he mentioned an active warrant from Georgia.<\/p>\n<h2>Loaded Handgun Found Inside Truck<\/h2>\n<p>During the investigation, officials reported finding ammunition inside the driver\u2019s side door area of the semi.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities later searched the truck and found a black revolver between the driver and passenger seats.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint states the handgun was loaded with eight rounds. Officials allege Cooper did not have a Minnesota permit to carry the firearm.<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin: 30px 0;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 300px;\" src=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/COOPER-ROGER-DALE-2.jpg\" alt=\"Roger Dale Cooper mugshot\" \/><em>Roger Dale Cooper booking photo<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Drug Impairment Allegation<\/h2>\n<p>After his arrest, Cooper was taken to the Polk County area law enforcement facility.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint states that officials observed signs they believed were consistent with stimulant use.<\/p>\n<p>Cooper allegedly told investigators he last used methamphetamine three days earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Court documents state Cooper provided a urine sample after signing a consent form.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint alleges an initial test showed positive results for methamphetamine, amphetamine, THC, and MDMA.<\/p>\n<p>The sample was later sent to the <a href=\"https:\/\/dps.mn.gov\/divisions\/bca\">Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension<\/a> for additional testing.<\/p>\n<h2>Court Case Pending<\/h2>\n<p>The pistol charge is a gross misdemeanor under Minnesota law. It carries a possible sentence of up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $3,000.<\/p>\n<p>The impaired driving charge is a misdemeanor. It carries a possible penalty of up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.<\/p>\n<p>Online court records show Cooper has previous criminal convictions reported in Arkansas, Georgia, Virginia, and Texas.<\/p>\n<p>All charges are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 TRF News. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m Adrian Cole, reporting for <a href=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\">TRF News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Crookston man Roger Dale Cooper faces charges after a loaded handgun was found in his semi and officials allege methamphetamine was detected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12],"tags":[1748,13808,14520,21387,1013,6265,19803],"class_list":["post-38826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","tag-crookston-minnesota","tag-dwi-charge","tag-gun-charge","tag-methamphetamine-arrest","tag-minnesota-state-patrol","tag-polk-county-court","tag-roger-dale-cooper","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38826"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38828,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38826\/revisions\/38828"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}