A 25-year-old Albert Lea man pleaded not guilty in Freeborn County District Court on Tuesday to possessing and selling methamphetamine to a drug task force informant on separate occasions.

Brohdy Hillis Avery is accused of selling about 15 grams of the drug on Aug. 6 at his home at 611 Ulstad Ave, according to court documents.

The meth reportedly sold for $850.

The first-degree meth possession charge was tied to a traffic stop early Sept. 26.

Avery was allegedly the passenger in the vehicle and was found to have a large plastic bag containing bundles of crystal meth and a quantity of cash, court records stated. The meth weighed 4 ounces.

Avery’s public defender, Kevin Riha, in court on Tuesday questioned the admissibility of his client’s statement to law enforcement officers after his arrest. Riha said the statement was taken after Avery requested to speak to a lawyer and therefore should be suppressed by the court. The task force agents who interviewed him said he waived his right to a lawyer before they started talking to him.

Assistant Freeborn County Attorney David Walker said Riha requested a transcript of the hearing and will file a brief with the court arguing to suppress the statement.

Walker said he will file a brief in response a week later, and then Avery will be scheduled for a jury trial in both cases.

Avery remains in the Freeborn County jail on a combined conditional bail of $40,000.