Two area residents are facing multiple felony charges after a traffic stop conducted by the Douglas County Sheriff's Department.
Sharon M. Brown, 65, Wasola, and Donald N. Reed, 50, Norwood, are each charged with a count apiece of second-degree drug trafficking and first-degree child endangerment, and two counts each of unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon by possessing a weapon and a felony controlled substance.
Each was initially held on $50,000 cash-only bond, but Reed was released on his own recognizance, or word that he would appear in court as scheduled, on April 18, court records show; Brown remains in custody. Included in the bond conditions are the requirements they have twice-weekly drug testing and no contact with each other.
Deputy Aaron Box, in court documents, reported on April 9, he saw Brown's vehicle pass by his patrol vehicle as he was parked at the junction of east Highway 76 and Highway 95, and shortly after he pulled out behind it the left turn signal was activated and it slowed down abruptly with the turn signal still activated.
Instead of turning left, Box stated, the vehicle turned right into a private driveway with a closed gate and stopped. Box had dispatch run the vehicle's license plates, which came back as registered to Brown, he said, adding he activated his emergency lights to initiate a stop and approached the vehicle, noting Brown seemed “extremely anxious.”
As he checked Brown's and Reed's criminal background, another deputy arrived to assist, and it was discovered Brown was on probation for drug and weapons convictions. When asked, Brown claimed there were no illegal items in the vehicle and gave consent to a search but quickly pointed out there was a child in the vehicle.
Box said he told Brown that since there was a child in the backseat, an open air sniff would be conducted by the department's K-9 officer to check for the odor of drugs and the child could remain in the vehicle. She and Reed were directed to exit to be patted down for weapons while the sniff was conducted, said Box.
The two didn't have any weapons on them, but the dog alerted to the presence of controlled substances and during an initial probable cause search of the vehicle, an unsecured shotgun and ammunition was found underneath several bags of personal items, Box reported.
Brown reportedly admitted to owning the gun and Reed said he bought the ammunition; it was also confirmed that Brown is a convicted felon and she was placed under arrest and eventually admitted she had illegal substances. Brown then removed a black zippered case from underneath her shirt that contained baggies with a large amount of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.
The combined weight of the suspected illegal substances was about 80 grams, or 2.82 ounces.
Reed was told he was going to be arrested on a 24-hour investigative hold due to the amount of the suspected meth and claimed he wasn't aware of its presence, Box reported. Reed then called a family member to come get the child.
During a further search of the vehicle, said Box, another shotgun was found in a rear storage area, plus a red straw with a substance on it that tested positive for meth.
Court records show Brown was convicted of second-degree drug trafficking in 2019 in Douglas County and was handed a six-year suspended sentence, but was released early from an attached five-year supervised probation in January 2022.
She was charged in July 2022 in Wright County and, in March 2023, pleaded guilty to felony possession of a controlled substance, as well as unlawful use of a weapon by possessing a weapon and a felony controlled substance, and was handed a four-year suspended sentence to be carried out if she failed to complete five years of supervised probation.
Reed was convicted of felony possession of a controlled substance in 1992 in Douglas County and sentenced to three years, court records show.
Both current cases are being tried by Douglas County Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Weatherman.
