Court news: Two face felony charges after search reveals drugs, gun and ammo

May Gabriella Durant, 48, of Park Rapids and Francis Edward Durant, 51, of rural Ogema have been charged with first-degree controlled substance crime in Becker County District Court.

Francis Durant has also been charged with a second felony count of first-degree drugs and a felony charge of being a felon in possession of a gun.

According to court records, on Jan. 7, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on a residence in Ponsford, where the two were staying in the basement.

Francis Durant was arrested on an active warrant. A Smith and Wesson .45 caliber handgun was in a jacket pocket belonging to him. Ammunition was also found throughout the residence. Francis Durant was convicted of terroristic threats in 2003 and is not allowed to possess guns or ammunition.

In a basement bedroom, multiple bags of methamphetamine were found, weighing 55.9 grams. A fentanyl and cocaine mixture was also found in the basement, weighing 63.9 grams.

A large amount of cash was found in the basement, including in May Durant’s purse. In a post‐arrest interview, Francis Durant admitted ownership of the drugs and firearm, and said he intended to sell the drugs. He said May Durant was aware of what was happening.

On Jan. 10, District Judge Gretchen Thilmony set cash bail for May Durant at $2,000 or bond at $30,000, under standard conditions of release, or bond at $60,000 bond with no conditions. She posted bail and was released.

Cash bail for Francis Durant was set at $75,000 or bond at $75,000, under standard conditions of release, or bond at $150,000 with no conditions.

On Jan. 20, he posted a $75,000 bond and was released. Their next court appearance is set for Feb. 7.

Martin Randy Anderson, 53, of Detroit Lakes has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony domestic assault by strangulation and misdemeanor domestic assault.

According to court records, on Jan. 1, Detroit Lakes police officers went to Anderson’s residence after an assault was reported. A woman there was crying and said that Anderson had strangled her.

She said she and Anderson had known each other for the last year, and that she stays the night at Anderson’s residence every now and then. The night before, he had made her leave the apartment with her belongings still inside. The police had been called that night, but Anderson would not open the door.

She also said she had waited on the steps for approximately eight hours, from 11:30 p.m. the night before until around 8 a.m., when she called the police.

That morning, she said, Anderson had come out of the apartment and threw some of her property down the steps at her.

She started picking the items up when he grabbed her by the neck with both hands and lifted her off the ground. She said that she could not breathe, but was able to kick Anderson to get him to let her go. She was afraid that he was not going to let her go and that she was going to die.

Officers saw a purple, vertical mark line on the right side of her neck, as well as a large red area directly underneath her chin.

Two officers went to Anderson’s apartment and began to knock on his door. While they were knocking, the woman said he had a shotgun, and had told her that it would be her fault if he had to use it against law enforcement. Due to Anderson's lack of response and alleged threats against law enforcement, no further contact was attempted at that time.

On Jan. 10, District Judge Gretchen Thilmony issued a warrant for Anderson’s arrest.

Jacob Michael Hallerstrom, 40, of rural Osage has been charged in Becker County District Court with two counts of felony domestic assault.

According to court records, on Jan. 8 he became assaultive with the relatives he was living with after being told his girlfriend needed to move out because an older relative was coming home from the hospital.

On Jan. 10, District Judge Gretchen Thilmony set cash bail for Hallerstrom at $2,000 or bond at $20,000, under standard conditions of release, or bond at $50,000 with no conditions. His next court appearance is set for Feb. 7.

Tracy Jay Barker, 58, of Detroit Lakes has been charged in Becker County District Court with two counts of felony DWI.

According to court records, just before 3 a.m. on Jan. 7, a Detroit Lakes police officer saw a 1992 Ford F250 pickup stopped in the middle of the road. Barker was lying on the seat of the pickup, mumbling and unable to answer the officer’s questions.

Barker said he was just trying to warm up and that he came down to start his vehicle to warm up. A strong odor of alcohol came from Barker and the inside of the vehicle.

The officer discovered that Barker’s driving privileges were canceled as inimical to public safety, and that he was subject to ignition interlock restrictions. The officer saw the keys to the vehicle on the driver's seat under Barker's leg and pulled them out of the vehicle. Barker was arrested on suspicion of DWI.

Field sobriety testing was not offered because the outside temperature was near 30-below. He was taken to jail, where he declined a breath test because he felt "he had done nothing wrong," according to the criminal complaint.

On Jan. 10, District Judge Gretchen Thilmony set cash bail for Barker at $75,000 or bond at $75,000, under standard conditions of release, or bond at $200,000 with no conditions. One of the conditions of release is alcohol monitoring, at county expense, subject to reimbursement.

His next court appearance is set for Feb. 7.

Kimberly Ann Firebaugh, 37, of Hibbing has been charged in Becker County District Court with two counts of felony fifth-degree controlled substance crime.

According to court records, just before 2 a.m. on Jan. 4, a Becker County deputy was on patrol on County Road 34 in rural Osage, when he saw a vehicle parked just off the highway in front of a closed gate. It appeared suspicious, so he turned around, pulled in behind the vehicle, and approached the driver's side door.

He observed a man in the driver's seat and Firebaugh in the passenger seat. Neither had a driver's license. They said they ran out of gas on their way to Hibbing and that someone was coming to bring them gas.

While speaking with them, the deputy saw a large blow torch lighter near her feet. The deputy told her he was going to run his K9 around the vehicle, and asked if any drugs were inside. She admitted to smoking marijuana earlier in the night.

The vehicle was searched, and in her purse on the floor was found a glass methamphetamine pipe and a baggie containing 16 blue Amphetamine/Dextroamphetamine pills. Under her seat was found a small baggie of meth that weighed 0.29 grams with packaging.

On Jan. 5, District Judge Gretchen Thilmony set cash bail for Firebaugh at $200 or bond at $3,000, under standard conditions of release, or bond at $10,000 with no conditions.

Christian Delon Andvik, 29, of rural Detroit Lakes has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony domestic assault.

According to court records, on Jan. 7, he spit on a woman, slapped her and pulled her hair during a domestic fight in Detroit Lakes.

On Jan. 10, District Judge Gretchen Thilmony set cash bail for Andvik at $500 or bond at $10,000, under standard conditions of release, or bond at $30,000 with no conditions.

His next court appearance is set for Feb. 7.