Four people have been arrested in connection with a drug raid in Lyle Wednesday afternoon and are expected to be charged in Mower County Court today.

Friday, December 03, 1999

Four people have been arrested in connection with a drug raid in Lyle Wednesday afternoon and are expected to be charged in Mower County Court today.

Arrested following a search at 103 Pine Street were Peter Noe, 22, Randall Dolf, 22, Timothy Schultz, 18, and Andrea Schultz, 21.

The investigation in ongoing and Austin Police Chief Paul Philipp said that up to four more persons could be arrested in connection to a Nov. 29 raid in Austin at 1307 6th Ave. NE.

"This is one of the biggest drug busts in the county," said Sheriff Barry Simonson at a press conference Thursday.

Seized in the raids were a total of approximately 47 pounds of marijuana, two loaded handguns, one of which is a Tech 9 that is possibly an automatic weapon, a shotgun, $31,221, a vehicle, three television sets, VCRs, a stereo, compact discs, video games, videos, and a bolt cutter.

More than 30 pounds of marijuana was found at the Lyle residence, while 15 pounds was found at the Austin residence. Authorities said the marijuana has a street value of about $140 per ounce.

Most of the suspects had been living in California until recently, having been in the Lyle and Northwood, Iowa area for only a couple of months. Simonson and Philipp said that the drugs could have come from the west coast. Most of the suspects have criminal histories, Simonson said.

Mower County Attorney Pat Oman said that because the Lyle residence is located across from a city park, the suspects could receive additional penalties if found guilty. In addition, possession of the firearms would carry mandatory three-year prison sentences, he said.

Children under the age of 13 were present at the Austin residence, Police Chief Philipp said.

The drug raids were the result of a several-week investigation and were carried out by the sheriff’s department, Austin Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau Criminal of Apprehension and the Lyle Polce Department. Philipp said that K-9 units were used in the raids.