Cocaine arrests were the first since June

By Joseph Marks, Tribune staff writer

Two brothers were charged with possession of cocaine yesterday in Freeborn County Court. This is the first instance of a cocaine related arrest by the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office since

June, according to Sheriff’s Deputy Corey Farris, who was involved in the arrest.

The two brothers were arrested Tuesday evening after Freeborn County Sheriff’s Deputies and Albert Lea Police Officers executed a search warrant for a property located on James Avenue in

Albert Lea, according to a complaint issued by the Freeborn County Attorney’s Office.

Attempts to contact the brothers for this article were unsuccessful.

Approximately five other people fled the residence when police entered, according to a report issued by the sheriff’s office.

When officers knocked at the residence, the older brothers drew back the door’s curtain, then pushed and locked the door and ran, according to the complaint. Officers then forced the door open and pursued.

Both brothers were caught by police and admitted to using cocaine in the residence that evening, according to the report, the younger brother testing positive for cocaine in his system.

Inside the residence, officers found baggies with residue on the dining room table which field tested positive for cocaine, according to the complaint, and several other baggies with cocaine residue throughout the residence.

They also found one baggy with powder in a bedroom which field tested positive for cocaine, snort tubes with residue and foil with burnt residue and a digital scale in the residence.

The older brother said there was more than a gram of cocaine on the table at the point he was snorting it there, according to the complaint.

Both brothers were charged with fifth degree possession of cocaine which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Cocaine use in Freeborn County has dropped measurably in the last year, according to Farris, which may be due to the decreased price and rise in popularity of imported crystal meth, which is significantly cheaper than cocaine.

(Contact Joseph Marks at joseph.marks@albertleatribune.com or at 379-3435.)