PRESS RELEASE
Morrison County Attorney’s Office
10/18/17
On Oct. 12, a Morrison County District Court Jury in Little Falls took less than an hour to convict Ronald Lee Schlangen of Controlled Substance Crime in the First Degree and Controlled Substance Crime in the Second Degree. A routine traffic stop and warrant check lead to the discovery of 130.4 grams (4.5 ounces) of methamphetamine in Schlangen’s vehicle.
The charges stem from February 23, when a Minnesota State Trooper observed a vehicle with a cracked windshield travelling on U.S. Highway 10 in Morrison County. The trooper ran the license plates numbers which revealed that Ronald Schlangen, 38, St. Cloud, was the registered owner and that there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Schlagen was a passenger in his vehicle. The female driver appeared to be under the influence, was arrested and a pipe with methamphetamine residue was found in her possession.
The trooper next conducted a search of the vehicle and located a pink flowered box that was next to where Schlangen had been seated in the vehicle. The trooper opened the box and observed a large clear baggie with crystalline shards suspected to be methamphetamine. A subsequent search warrant located a green bag also contained suspected meth. The suspected meth was tested and weighed by the BCA Laboratory. The meth found in the flowered box weighed 83.324 grams. The methamphetamine found in the green bag weighed 47.077 grams. There was also $4,900 in $100 bills next to the drugs in the flowered box. Schlangen’s wallet was found to contain an additional $2,515
Schlangen was found guilty of possessing the methamphetamine found in his vehicle following a three-day jury trial. Assistant County Attorney Morrison Mike Chisum prosecuted the case. Chisum said, “The jury was able to convict Schlangen quickly because of the overwhelming evidence of his guilt. This case came together because of the excellent work of the trooper and his decision to continue to investigate the case by obtaining a search warrant. Additionally, employees of the Minnesota State patrol, the BCA, the Morrison County Attorney’s Office and the Morrison County Jail played a crucial role in gaining this important conviction.”
Chisum said, “Highway 10 is a popular route for transporting illegal narcotics. I hope this conviction sends a message that law enforcement is working hard to stop the use and flow of narcotics through our county, and that the Morrison County Attorney’s Office is diligently prosecuting narcotic users and traffickers.”
Schlangen is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 6, before Judge Daniel A. Benson. Schlangen faces up to 150 months in prison according to the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines. County Attorney Brian Middendorf said, “We need to stop this dangerous, criminal behavior. That’s why at sentencing, my office will be asking the Judge to sentence Schlangen to maximum sentence under the State sentencing guidelines.”