St. Paul man sentenced to 57 months in prison on meth charge

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A St. Paul man was sentenced in Carlton County Court to 57 months in prison Nov. 6 after being found guilty of a controlled substance crime in the third degree. Rick Alan Larson, 52, was arrested on Oct. 8, 2010, after Moose Lake Police responded to a report of a man driving erratically from Highway 27 into Moose Lake at 11:15 p.m. His case has been working its way through the court system ever since.

According to the complaint filed in the case, a police officer stopped the vehicle and noted a large amount of marijuana shake (loose leaves, seeds and stems) on Larson’s shirt, pants and seat. A subsequent records check also showed that a passenger in Larson’s car, Natalie Nadine Haugen, 37, of Blaine, Minn., had an outstanding warrant from the state of Iowa for larceny.

When the officer questioned the two about their whereabouts that night, their stories were inconsistent and Haugen reportedly appeared to be under the influence of some type of controlled substance. The officer then asked for consent to search the vehicle and received permission from Larson.

Inside the vehicle there were numerous syringes with a clear liquid substance in them which later tested positive for amphetamines. Also in the vehicle were multiple drug paraphernalia items and packaging material consistent with the trafficking of methamphetamine.

Authorities also found a white powdered substance that later tested positive as methamphetamine. The gross field weight of the powdered methamphetamine was 8 grams.

Haugen admitted to police that she was a user of meth and was exhibiting signs of use of that drug.

Both Haugen and Larson were arrested and transported to the Carlton County Jail.

Prior to sentencing, Larson pleaded guilty to third-degree possession of three grams or more of meth on Oct. 31, 2012, as part of a plea agreement. He was given credit for 414 days of jail time already served and ordered to report to the State Commissioner of Corrections immediately following his sentencing.

Haugen received a stay of imposition on charges of third-degree possession on April 20, 2011, along with three years’ probation and an order to undergo chemical dependency treatment. On March 7, 2012, the stay of imposition was amended after she was picked up on a probation violation. She was sentenced to 30 days of jail time, with credit for five days already served.

Tags: carlton county, news, crime