Tribune staff reports

Four people were arrested for the sale of narcotics Tuesday by the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office. The arrests were the result of ongoing investigations.

-Geraldine Pederson, 49, of Albert Lea, was charged Thursday with a 4th-degree sale of methamphetamine after selling a bag of powder methamphetamine to an Albert Lea Police Department informant Dec. 12, 2003.

According to the complaint, the informant went to Pederson’s place of work to buy the methamphetamine from Pederson. The bag of methamphetamine weighed .26 grams according to the scale at the Albert Lea Law Enforcement Center.

Pederson’s charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment and a $100,000 fine.

The court date is set for Aug. 30 at 1:30 p.m.

-Charlotte Beer, 32, of Albert Lea, was charged Thursday with a 3rd-degree sale of cocaine after selling a bag of the white rock substance to an a Albert Lea police informant on Jan. 4, 2004. According to the complaint, the sale took place at Beer’s residence on St. Johns Street and the bag of cocaine weighed .7 grams.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Beer’s court date is set for Aug. 30 at 1:30 p.m.

-Charles Denard, 19, of Albert Lea, was charged Thursday with aiding and abetting the sale of marijuana in a park zone. According to the complaint, on Dec. 22, 2003, Denard, under the alias of “Tommy,” picked up the marijuana at Channelview Apartments and aided in the exchange of marijuana between Richard Smith, of Albert Lea, and a police informant at Hayek Park in Albert Lea. The informant later identified “Tommy” as Denard in a photograph. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment and a $100,000 fine. Denard’s court date is set for Aug. 30 at 1:30 p.m.

-Shawn O’Reilly, 18, of Albert Lea, was charged Thursday with a 4th-degree sale of methamphetamine after selling four bags of crystal meth to an Albert Lea police informant on July 29, 2004. According to the complaint, the sale took place at a residence on Euclid Avenue.

The bags weighed 2.2 grams. O’Reilly’s charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment and a $100,000 fine. His court date is set for Aug. 30 at 1:30 p.m.

(Contact Jennifer Rogers at jennifer.rogers@albertleatribune.com or at 379-3439.)