Police arrest man passed out in car

A Barnum man is facing charges after police found him passed out in a parked car earlier this month.

Roger Petersen Jr., 35, was charged Friday, Jan. 20, in Sixth District Court in Carlton County with felony first-degree drug possession along with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. Bail was set at $75,000 bond or $7,500 cash.

According to the criminal complaint, a Fond du Lac tribal police officer was at a gas station on Minnesota Highway 210 on Jan. 18 when a staff member told him she had observed a vehicle parked and running next to the gas station. She had tried to wake a male slumped over in the driver’s seat, but he had woken only briefly before his eyes rolled and he passed out.

The same thing allegedly happened when the officer attempted to make contact with the driver, identified as Petersen. He would open his eyes when the officer knocked and then pass out again. Believing the man was either experiencing a medical emergency or overdosing, the officer opened the vehicle door. He was able to wake Petersen, but he still struggled to stay awake. Once Petersen was awake and standing outside the vehicle, a Carlton County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived and performed field sobriety testing, which appeared to indicate he was under the influence.

Officers searched the vehicle after the testing, and allegedly found three bags containing a crystal-like substance that tested for the presence of methamphetamine in the amount of 2.5 grams, 29.65 grams and 134.92 grams. Officers also allegedly found a scale in the glove compartment and a glass jar that contained THC wax (tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the main intoxicating substance found in marijuana) on the passenger seat.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is testing a urine sample from Petersen. Previously, Petersen was convicted of first-degree drug possession in January 2018, after he was found with 26 grams of meth and a half-gram of heroin. He was sentenced to 68 months in prison with credit for 128 days served in that case. He was released from the Challenge Incarceration Program to supervised probation on Dec. 4, 2018.

Petersen’s next hearing is set for Jan. 27.