Local arrests lead to federal charges
State charges have been dropped against three men who were arrested after a traffic stop in Steele County allegedly turned up at least 30 pounds of methamphetamine – because they now face federal charges.
Julie Forbes, assistant Steele County Attorney, dismissed all charges against Thomas Virgil Trumble, 60, of New Richmond, Wis.; James Winfred Timmons, 48, of St. Paul; and Benjamin Reuben Krupp, 36, of Phoenix.
They had all been charged with one felony count of aggravated controlled substance crime first-degree, and two aggravating factors; one felony count of first-degree drug possession; and one count of possession of ammo/any firearm after the conviction for a crime of violence, also a felony.
Krupp faced an additional count of first-degree drug possession.
In her single-sentence dismissal of each case, Forbes wrote “The State of Minnesota hereby dismisses the charges in the … case for the following reasons: The defendant has been federally indicted for the same course of conduct.”
The men had been in custody at the Steele County Detention Center since their arrest in April. They’ve been transferred to Sherburne County Jail on a federal hold.
The men and the SUV they were traveling in were under an active investigation for ongoing narcotics crimes when a Minnesota State Patrol trooper spotted the vehicle about 9 p.m. on April 26 near the Hope exit on northbound Interstate 35.
As the SUV changed lanes, it hit the fog line, prompting the trooper to make a traffic stop.
According to the criminal complaint, Trumble was in the driver’s seat. As he was looking for his license, he spoke rapidly, provided documentation that he hadn’t been asked for, and was constantly touching his face.
Timmons was in the front passenger seat. He said he’d rented the SUV and provided the rental agreement.
As the trooper spoke to Trumble, the report says, “he would not make eye contact and was having trouble forming sentences, stuttering consistently while answering simple questions.” He said he didn’t know Krupp, who was in the back seat, and identified him as Timmons’ friend “Dan or Don.”
Trumble’s and Timmons’ stories about where they’d been that day didn’t match.
The trooper brought his drug-sniffing dog to the vehicle. The animal alerted to the rear of the SUV, specifically near a duffle bag in the rear hatch.
The complaint says the bag contained a large plastic-wrapped bundle of what later turned out to be meth. The trooper allegedly saw “numerous large packages containing the same substance.”
The contents of the bag reportedly included packages of meth, with an estimated total weight of 30 to 40 pounds; a package of suspected fentanyl pills; an ounce of cocaine; and a nickel-plated revolver and two boxes of ammo.
The recovered methamphetamine’s street value has an estimated value of about $500,000.
The passenger compartment of the SUV had 5 grams of meth; 14 grams of marijuana and a gram of THC wax. The marijuana and THC were in a cannabis dispensary bag.
A review of their criminal histories indicates all three men have prior convictions for controlled substance.