Rochester Man to Admit to Drug Charge Following Traffic Stop Bust

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A Rochester man has agreed to enter into a plea agreement with Olmsted County prosecutors to settle a drug case that was initiated by a traffic stop last August. 

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The charges say a Rochester police officer checking license plates pulled over a vehicle that showed its owner had an active arrest warrant. The driver, 44-year-old Ryan Holmseth, was arrested then charged with four felony drug charges after officers found a bag that contained methamphetamine, hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana, digital scales and baggies inside of the vehicle. 

Under the terms of the tentative agreement, Holmseth will plead guilty to a felony count of second-degree drug possession in exchange for prosecutors dropping three felony drug charges and misdemeanor drug count. The agreement does not include a sentencing recommendation. 

The criminal complaint in the case says the vehicle search was prompted by the discovery of a marijuana pipe. The search turned up another marijuana pipe and a black bag in the back seat of the vehicle. 

The complaint states the bag contained six baggies of methamphetamine that weighed out to over 39 grams with packaging, two bags weighing over 12 grams with packaging of suspected hallucinogenic mushrooms, multiple unused small clear plastic baggies, and four scales tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine. 

While being booked into the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center, authorities discovered Holmseth had methamphetamine weighing 1.93 grams with packaging on him, the complaint says. Holmseth told officials he had forgotten about that baggie.

Holmseth  was originally charged with first and second-degree drug sale, second and fourth-degree drug possession and introducing contraband into jail. His next court appearance is set for February 27.