Second Drug Dealing Conviction Puts Rochester Man in Prison

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Rochester man who was given a chance to avoid prison for a drug-dealing conviction in 2024 is now headed to prison for another felony drug offense.

Twenty-seven-year-old Demontae Shannon Bragg was scheduled to stand trial in Olmsted County court in December but instead entered into a last-minute plea agreement. Court records indicate that Bragg was charged with second-degree drug sales, third-degree drug possession, a gross misdemeanor count of introducing contraband into the jail, and several misdemeanor traffic offenses, including DWI.

Arrested After Traffic Stop

The list of charges stemmed from a traffic stop that occurred in downtown Rochester in August 2024. According to the criminal complaint, a Rochester police officer on routine patrol observed erratic driving and then learned that the registered owner of the vehicle had a canceled driver’s license.

Photo by Andy Brownell TSM Rochester

The criminal complaint says the arresting officer observed signs of impairment and that Bragg failed field sobriety tests before he was given a preliminary breath test at the scene. It measured his blood alcohol concentration at .11. Test results from a blood sample later obtained from Bragg put his BAC at just under .09 and detected evidence of cannabis use.

Suspicions About Contraband

In addition, the criminal complaint states that Bragg exhibited behavior that led to suspicion he might be in possession of contraband. After he was warned that bringing prohibited substances into the Olmsted County jail could be a criminal offense, the court document says he handed over a plastic bag containing cocaine that weighed just over 21 grams.

Plea Agreement

Bragg entered guilty pleas to the second-degree drug sales charge and a fifth-degree drug possession charge in another case in exchange for the dismissal of all other charges. The plea agreement recommended a 75-month prison term, but the judge presiding over the case ordered Bragg to prison for 88 months, with credit for 14 days already served in jail.

Get our free mobile app

Earlier Conviction

His criminal history indicates Bragg was previously convicted of a first-degree drug sale charge in a 2021 case involving cocaine sales to a police informant. That conviction led to a sentence of five years on probation with a stayed 73-month prison term.

More Minnesota News: