Four charged in Brownsdale drug bust appear in court
Published 7:35 am Friday, January 29, 2010
Four out of the seven adult defendants in a Brownsdale drug case appeared in court Thursday, with three of them entering not guilty pleas.
Homeowner Cory James Papka, 39, of Kasson, Minn., pleaded not guilty to first-degree drug sales and second-degree drug possession, both felonies, as well as a third felony count of keeping methamphetamine paraphernalia around children. Shane Thomas Rose, 32, of Brownsdale, pleaded not guilty to the same charges. Due to previous felony drug convictions, he could face 40 years in jail if convicted.
Papka is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing April 16, while Rose’s next court date has not been set.
Corina Amy Sanborn, 29, of Spring Valley, Minn., pleaded not guilty to fifth-degree felony drug possession as well as a lesser count. She is scheduled for a April 16 pre-trial hearing.
The fourth person to appear Thursday, 22-year-old Robert William Wheeler of Waseca, Minn., applied for a public defender and did not enter a plea. He will appear again on Feb. 11.
A fifth individual, Savanah Marie Rhodes, 20, of Stillwater, Minn., failed to appear Thursday and has until Feb. 1 to appear before being arrested on a bench warrant.
All the charges stem from a drug raid on January 13 at 507 East Main St. in Brownsdale.
Officers from the Mower County Sheriff’s Department and the Southeast Minnesota Drug Taskforce entered the home around 6 a.m., finding some suspects asleep and others awake.
One individual, Eric Anthony Portillo, 33, of Rochester, attempted to jump out of a window to escape, but he was arrested and charged with felony-first degree drug sale conspiracy, which could land him in prison for 40 years if convicted due to a prior conviction. His arraignment has not been held.
In all, 10 arrests were made, including a juvenile who now faces charges and two men — 24-year-old Brand Ingalls and 25-year-old Kyle David Magyar — who were already wanted on warrants for other crimes and will not face drug charges.
Authorities found scattered needles and a scale during the search, according to court records, as well as a small marijuana growing station.
About 10.5 grams of methamphetamine were also found in small plastic bags on the porch and “a large quantity” of the drug was found in an office space.
Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi said that there were signs that all the defendants were using and selling meth, but there were no signs the drug was being manufactured in the home.
A lock box in the living room contained drug paraphernalia, $880 in cash and a crib sheet that appeared related to debts owed for drugs, according to records.
Amazi said authorities had been monitoring the house for several months.