Herald Journal,
June 16, 2003
Suspect captured at local motel
By Ryan Gueningsman
A Glencoe man was taken into custody Sunday, June 1 at about 11:30 p.m. following a surveillance operation at the Winsted Motel in Winsted.
Police located and arrested Andrew Stockman, 20, who had a warrant out for his arrest in Wright County for second degree possession. He was also the person Lester Prairie police were looking for in relation to making threats of harm on someone.
"We received information that Andrew Stockman was in one of the hotel rooms (at the Winsted Motel)," said Winsted Police Chief Mike Henrich. "After some surveillance, a traffic stop was made for a traffic offense. He (Stockman) wasn't in the vehicle."
Information based off of the traffic stop led police to check one of the rooms at the motel. Michael Lorence, 19, of Glencoe, was in the vehicle that was pulled over. He had a motel key in his possession, according to a criminal complaint. He indicated that Stockman would not be in the motel room.
The officer who pulled over the vehicle informed Lorence of the charges facing Stockman, and Lorence still "refused to be truthful about the presence of Stockman inside," according to the complaint.
Based on other this, and other information gained while conducting the traffic stop, police believed Stockman was in one of the motel rooms.
"Three of us went in (to one of the rooms), and he was arrested without incident," Henrich said. One other individual, a 17-year-old female, was also in the room with Stockman at the time of his arrest. He had apparently been at the motel off and on for several days.
Stockman was originally arrested Nov. 1, 2002 for second degree controlled substance possession.
At that time, a Wright County deputy, while on routine patrol near Maple Lake, pulled a vehicle over upon learning that the owner of the vehicle was Stockman whose license had been suspended, accorded to a criminal complaint.
The driver was not Stockman, but rather Michael Wichman, 23, of Hutchinson. Stockman was a passenger in the vehicle. Wichman's license had also been suspended for "driving while under the influence of drugs," according to the complaint.
The deputy asked Stockman for permission to search his vehicle, which he gave, according to the complaint, and after a drug dog was brought in, the passenger side compartment of the vehicle was "hit" on.
In that compartment was a black nylon canvas bag which contained a large amount of plastic baggies, a compact weighing scale, a portable electronic weighing scale, as well as a black small box containing a plastic bag which had a white/clear glass like type substance in it.
The substance weighed 14 grams and field tested positive for amphetamine, according to the complaint.
Also located throughout the car was a "long wooden baseball bat with duct tape around it . . . several BBs and .22 caliber gun bullets . . . an aluminum rectangular shaped metal box which contained a cream colored cloth wrapped around a drug paraphernalia pipe . . . a black and silver BB gun, and directly under the passenger seat was a handmade flashlight type Taser gun which was functional," according to the complaint.
Another drug pipe, in addition to several small pieces of paper with a large amount of individuals, telephone numbers, and monetary amounts was also found.
A copy of a search warrant served on Wichman in August 2002 was also located in the glove compartment, according to the complaint.
For these violations, Stockman received 25 years in prison and/or a $500,000 fine.
Stockman was taken to the McLeod County jail to await an appearance in front of a judge, Henrich said. He will also appear in Wright County at some point for the possession offense.
For aiding Stockman, Lorence will receive a maximum penalty of three years imprisonment and/or a $5,000 fine for aiding an offender (Stockman).
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