Methamphetamine drug busts that occurred over the course of one day in Pipestone last week put five people in Pipestone County Jail, three of them repeat drug offenders.
Those arrested on Tuesday, Aug. 7, were Timothy Donald Holt, 47, of 812 Second St. NW; Brian William Habben, 29, 117 Sixth Ave. SE; Michael Stern Vos, 43, of 815 West Main St.; Kerry Lynn Vos, 39, of 815 West Main St.; and Chad Aaron Miller, 33, of Jasper.
Holt/Habben arrests
Holt was arrested first after deputies with the Pipestone County Sheriff’s Office and agents with the Buffalo Ridge Drug Task Force (BRDTF) executed a search warrant on his home, according to the complaint filed Aug. 8. After securing the residence, Holt immediately stated he wanted to cooperate, according to the BRDTF’s case synopsis. Holt allegedly told the agents where to find hypodermic needles within his home he had been “slamming” meth for two weeks, or using needles to inject the drug for a quicker high, according to the case synopsis. He then allegedly offered to call Habben to order an 8-ball of meth, which he referred to as “the game,” for $400, a call he then placed, according to the report.
Once the buy had been set, deputies and agents accompanied Holt to Habben’s residence. Immediately after Habben opened his back door, the agents announced themselves and Habben pushed back and took off, according to the report. The law enforcement officials were able to catch Habben and in his right front pocket, they recovered 3.5 grams of meth in a baggie.
Holt was charged with fifth degree methamphetamine possession, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and a fine of $10,000. He made his first appearance in court last week with bail set at $7,500. He remained in jail as of press time.
Habben was charged with selling more than three grams of meth in the second degree, a felony controlled substance crime that carries a maximum sentence of 25 years imprisonment and a fine of $25,000; and selling meth in the second degree, a felony with a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment and a fine of $100,000. He made his first appearance in court last week and was released on $1,000 bail.
Vos/Miller arrests
Later the day of Aug. 7 around 3 p.m., local deputies and BRDTF agents executed another search warrant, this time on the West Main Street residence of Michael and Kerry Vos. When deputies entered the residence, they found Kerry Vos and Chad Miller inside, placed them in custody, then conducted the search, according to the complaints filed Aug. 9.
The agents had secured the search warrant based upon information they had received from a “cooperating individual” who had alleged having smoked meth with Kerry and Miller the previous day.
Among the items recovered in the search were multiple meth pipes and tubes and paraphernalia, all that field-tested positive for meth, including glass light bulbs that had been converted to meth pipes; a baggie containing .52 grams of meth; and a “rock” of meth lying atop a nightstand in a bedroom.
During the search, Michael Vos arrived at the residence around 5:23 p.m. and was placed under arrest. He allegedly stated during a post-Miranda interview that he smoked marijuana but knew nothing about the meth found in his home. Kerry Vos, also during a post-Miranda interview, allegedly admitted to smoking marijuana and to using the light bulb pipes to smoke meth in the past, but hadn’t used in over a week, according to the case synopsis.
During his post-Miranda interview, Miller allegedly said he had been walking through the kitchen of the Vos residence when he saw a baggie lying on the floor containing a quarter gram of meth. He ate the baggie of meth because he didn’t want to get into trouble, according to the report. He also allegedly admitted to smoking meth earlier that day with Kerry.
All three appeared in court last week. Miller was released on $2,000 bail and Michael Vos on $1,000 bail. Kerry Vos’s bail was set at $2,500, and she remained in jail as of press time.
Both Kerry and Michael Vos and Chad Miller have pled guilty in the recent past to fifth degree felony drug charges involving methamphetamine: Miller in April 2011 in Pipestone County; Kerry Vos in Rock County District Court in April 2010; and Michael Vos in Rock County District Court in December 2009. All three received stays of adjudication in return for their guilty pleas.