Crime & Safety

Northfield Man Enters Guilty Plea for Heroin Possession

The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

A Northfield man on Monday pleaded guilty to possessing heroin during an August 2011 traffic stop.

Shay O’Neal Robinson, 21, originally pleaded not guilty to the fifth-degree felony possession charge and requested a jury trial.

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The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Rice County District Court:

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A Northfield police officer was patrolling Linden Street North around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 17, 2011 when he noticed a car parked in a dark area not near any residences. The car had its parking lights on and the vehicle appeared to be running. The vehicle, which appeared to have people in it, had its overhead lamp on, the complaint said. The officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle.

The officer recognized the driver, a passenger in the backseat and Robinson, who was a passenger in the front seat.

Robinson, the registered owner of the vehicle, provided proof of insurance for the officer, according to the complaint. The officer asked what they were doing and the driver said they had just gotten back in town and were talking about what they were going to do.

The officer could allegedly smell marijuana and saw a pack of Zig Zag cigarette rolling papers in the center console of the vehicle and what appeared to be marijuana leaves on the rear passenger floor area.

The officer spoke with Robinson, who said they were just hanging out and deciding what to do for the night. He denied smoking marijuana, the complaint said, and denied having any drugs in his car.

Several plastic sandwich bags were on the driver’s side floor area, the complaint said. During a search of the vehicle, the officer found a small plastic baggie in the compartment behind the driver’s seat.

The complaint said the baggie was a ripped corner of a plastic sandwich bag and one end of the baggie was tied in a knot and the other end was heat sealed. The inside of the baggie had a “powdery milky film” residue. The residue later tested positive for heroin/opiates.

When asked about the baggie, the officer said Robinson looked off to the side and had a nervous facial expression. Robinson denied the baggie was his and said he didn’t know whose it was, but said he understood he was responsible for anything in his car.

Robinson was convicted of felony theft in 2009 and underage drinking in 2011, according to Minnesota Court records.

Robinson will be sentenced for the possession charge on Oct. 30.

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