Olmsted Judge Dismisses Charges Involving 2 Pound Meth Bust

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - An Olmsted County judge has dismissed the charges against two Iowa men who were arrested last year in a Rochester-area drug bust involving more than two pounds of methamphetamine.

Traffic Stop on I-90 Led to Discovery of More Than 900 Grams of Meth

According to court records, 47-year-old Patrick John Letscher of Nora Springs, Iowa, and his front-seat passenger, 56-year-old Jason Charles Jensen of Mason City, Iowa, were taken into custody on April 23, 2025, after an Olmsted County Sheriff's Office corporal initiated a traffic stop on I-90 near Stewartville. A search of their rental vehicle led to the discovery of more than 900 grams of methamphetamine inside a plastic grocery bag on the front passenger-side floorboard.

Judge Finds Vehicle Search Lacked Probable Cause

The judge presiding over both cases ruled that the vehicle search was illegal because law enforcement lacked probable cause. The judge dismissed the first-degree drug sales and possession charges against both men.

K-9 Briefly Entered Vehicle During Exterior Search

The ruling to suppress all the evidence found during the vehicle search focused on the actions of a K-9 officer who was deployed to conduct a “sniff” search around the exterior of the vehicle. One of the vehicle's doors had been left open when the two men were removed an the court document states that the K-9 briefly entered the vehicle during what was supposed to be an exterior search.

Evidence Found During Search Suppressed

In the decision to suppress the evidence and dismiss the charges, the judge ruled that the K-9's intrusion into the vehicle resulted in an investigation that required a search warrant because investigators had not established probable cause for a warrantless search before that intrusion.

Prosecutors Cited Driver's Nervousness and Suspected Drug House

The prosecution unsuccessfully argued that probable cause had been established because the officer observed that the driver was “shaking out of nervousness” and had earlier seen him leave a suspected “drug house” in Rochester with the grocery bag that was later discovered to contain more than two pounds of methamphetamine.