Loader stolen, recovered
SPICER -- A loader valued at more than $20,000 was stolen Thursday night from the Donnerite Company's facility at 1500 U.S. Highway 12 E. in Willmar, but recovered Friday morning.
An employee with the company discovered the loader had been driven to Deidra's Coffee Shop, 309 Lakeland Dr. S.E. There was damage to the loader, according to the police report.
The loader had been taken from the company's shop sometime after 8 p.m. Thursday. It was discovered on the east side of the coffee shop building shortly before 9 a.m.
Gas drive-off
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WILLMAR -- Someone driving a new model Ford F150 pickup drove off after filling up with $77.90 worth of gas shortly after 8 a.m. Friday at the Willmar Auto Plaza, 1400 U.S. Highway 12 E., Willmar. The pickup truck was described as silver in color with red striping and having white decals on the back window.
District Court
Kandiyohi County
* Troy David Travis, 38, and Jason Robert Peterson, 39, both of Spicer, were arraigned Thursday on felony drug possession charges.
Unconditional bail was set at $15,000 for both men. Both were allowed conditional release on their personal recognizance, provided they have no contact with Phillip Christian Rice or possess firearms.
Each man faces two felonies for fifth-degree drug possession and a misdemeanor for possessing drug paraphernalia.
According to the complaints filed against the men, CEE-VI task force agents served a search warrant July 16 on their home after a confidential informant allegedly purchased suspected methamphetamine from another man living there. Phillip Christian Rice faces two drug sale conspiracy charges and a fifth-degree drug possession charge.
According to the complaint, on Wednesday the informant informed a CEE-VI agent that Rice had offered to sell an "eight-ball" of meth for $360. The informant had made arrangements for the buy to happen that day. Agents set up the informant and gave her $400 in task force funds. The informant went to the Spicer residence and later met the agents, handed over the bag of suspected meth and the remaining money.
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The drugs had a rough weight of 6 grams, but a field test was inconclusive for methamphetamine. The agents informed the informant of the results of the test, and then the informant called Rice and confronted him with the information that the drugs were not good. The informant was supposed to return the suspected drugs to Rice the next day.
However, that evening a number of law enforcement officers served a search warrant on the home and confirmed that Rice, Travis and Peterson lived there. They recovered drug paraphernalia from several rooms in the house, plus cutting agents, a list of products used to make meth, a propane torch adapted to use to smoke meth and a meth smoking device made of a light bulb that contained meth residue. They also found cocaine in the home.
Both men have their next court appearance on Aug. 11.
