Justin Paul Nelson, formerly of Hutchinson, was sentenced in Meeker County District Court to 153 months after being convicted of a first-degree drug charge for possessing over 50 grams of methamphetamine or cocaine. The case dates back to Aug. 26, 2020, when the CEE-VI Drug and Gang Task Force did a search on an apartment in which Nelson was staying.
A Renville County jury heard four days of testimony and arguments before deliberating for an hour and 20 minutes over dinner and returning with not-guilty verdicts on all counts against a former commander of the Brown-Lyon-Redwood-Renville Drug Task Force. Jeffrey Morris had faced two felony charges of theft by swindle for allegedly falsely claiming work hours and a gross misdemeanor charge of misconduct by a public official.
The former commander for the Brown-Lyon-Redwood-Renville Drug Task Force is accused of submitting false work hours and collecting pay during portions of 2019 and 2020.
