Court news: Detroit Lakes man gets 41 months for burglary

Cory Thomas Swift, 44, of Detroit Lakes, has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for felony second-degree burglary.

A felony charge of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle was dropped in a plea agreement.

According to court records, at 1:31 a.m. on July 10, 2019, a deputy patrolling East Lake Ida Lane saw a black 2014 Nissan Altima parked next to a construction dumpster, near a house that was under construction.

The deputy recognized a man standing outside as Swift and knew he was wanted on a felony warrant. Swift said he had permission to take items from the dumpster and went to his vehicle and sat down behind the wheel, despite commands to stop. He then drove off and fled, pursued by the deputy with lights and sirens. He pulled into a residence on East Lake Ida Lane, parked, and ran into the woods.

More than $7,700 worth of DeWalt and other tools -- stolen from the house that was under construction -- were found in his car.

On April 12, Becker County District Judge Michael Fritz sentenced Swift to 41 months in prison at St. Cloud, with credit for 418 days served in jail. He was ordered to pay $200 in court fees.

Swift was also sentenced on a felony fifth-degree drug charge to 18 months in prison at St. Cloud and a $200 fine, with the time to be served at the same time as the burglary sentence.

That charge stemmed from March 6, when he was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over in Detroit Lakes. He gave a false name to the officer, and Hydrocodone pain pills, for which he had no prescription, were found in his right front pocket.

In yet another case, charges of felony third-degree assault, misdemeanor domestic assault and misdemeanor violating a no-contact order were all dropped in a plea agreement reached in the burglary case.

Those charges stem from May 6, 2020, when Swift grew angry during an argument with a woman while they were driving in Becker County. He threw soda pop at her, then threw the pop container at her head, then punched her in the nose, according to the criminal complaint.

Tiara Nicole Nolan, 27, of Moorhead, has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for felony fifth-degree controlled substance crime and gross misdemeanor DWI.

According to court records, at 2:25 a.m. June 28, 2020, a deputy on Highway 10 saw the vehicle she was driving across the fog line and drive half on the shoulder for several seconds. She was pulled over and performed poorly on field sobriety tests. She refused to comply with a warrant for a blood draw, and a search of her possessions revealed about a third a gram of meth in her wallet.

On April 14, Becker County District Judge Jay Carlson stayed adjudication and continued the case.

On the drug charge, Nolan was ordered to serve 30 days in jail, with credit for two days served. She can serve the rest of the time on electronic home monitoring at her own expense.

She was fined $500, plus $650 in court fees, and must get a chemical dependency evaluation and follow the recommendations, including aftercare. She was placed on supervised probation for five years.

On the DWI charge, she was fined $500 plus $540 in court fees, and ordered to serve 90 days in jail, with 88 days stayed two years, and credit for two days served. She was placed on unsupervised probation for two years, and if successfully completed, her conviction will be deemed a misdemeanor.

Jessica Lynn Fuhrman, 23, of rural Waubun, has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for felony third-degree controlled substance crime.

The original charge of second-degree controlled substance crime was reduced in a plea agreement.

According to court records, on July 28, 2019, in Callaway, she sold 4.88 grams of meth, with packaging, to a confidential reliable informant with the West Central Minnesota Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. The sale occurred within one block of a city park.

On April 14, Becker County District Judge Jay Carlson stayed imposition of sentence and placed Fuhrman on supervised probation for 10 years.

She was ordered to serve 60 days in jail, with credit for seven days served. Sentencing to Service privileges were granted.

She was fined $1,000 plus $1,150 in court fees and $200 in restitution.

She must get a chemical dependency evaluation and follow the recommendations, including aftercare.

Virgil Marquis Smith, 29, of Snellville, Ga., was acquitted on two counts of felony domestic assault in Becker County District Court.

According to court records, on Feb. 26, 2020, he was accused of assaulting his domestic partner at their residence in Lake Park. He was accused of lifting her off the ground and throwing her on the bed a couple times, and threatening to kill her in a text message. He was acquitted on April 13 after a trial.

Arlan Ray Bergstrom Jr., 28, of rural Detroit Lakes, has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony fifth-degree controlled substance crime, and misdemeanor no proof of insurance.

According to court records, on April 4, he was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over in a traffic stop in Detroit Lakes. He said the vehicle belonged to him, but had no proof of insurance. He consented to a search and the officer found a baggie of meth in the center console that weighed about 1 gram, with packaging.

On April 5, District Judge Waldemar Senyk set cash bail for Bergstrom at $500 or bond at $5,000, under standard conditions of release, or $20,000 bond with no conditions. A court appearance was set for May 17.

Natasha Louise French, 24, of rural Ogema, has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony fifth-degree controlled substance crime.

According to court records, on April 2, she was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over by tribal police on Becker County Road 34, just west of County Road 21.

The vehicle was searched and her purse was found to hold syringes and just under half a gram of a white-brown powdery substance determined to be fentanyl.

On April 7, District Judge Gretchen Thilmony set cash bail for French at $200 or bond at $5,000, under standard conditions of release, or $10,000 bond with no conditions.

RELATED: See other Becker County District Court cases here

Derek Todd Blakely, 34, of White Earth, has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony fifth-degree controlled substance crime.

According to court records, on April 5, he was pulled over by tribal police for driving 41 mph in a 30 mph zone.

He was arrested and a search turned up 0.2 grams of meth in a baggie in his pocket and 0.3 grams of heroin-fentanyl in a red pouch in his pocket.

On April 6, District Judge Waldemar Senyk ordered Blakely to be released without bail, under standard conditions, or released on $10,000 bond with no conditions. A court hearing was set for May 17.