October 1, 2018: Deputies Dave Patterson and Aaron Wells responded to a domestic on Interstate 94 between Albany and Freeport. The female caller was reporting that the male driving the car had attempted to remove her from the car at knife point. The caller stated she was still in the car and they were heading westbound. They got off the Interstate at the Freeport exit and stopped in a parking lot in downtown Freeport.
A Minnesota State Patrol trooper and a Melrose Police Department officer arrived on scene a short time later. Once on scene, Stearns County Sheriff’s deputies conducted an investigation and interviews but could not establish that an assault had occurred or that a knife was involved. Deputies identified the female as Joanna Katherine Cross, 35, no permanent address. Cross had an active extraditable arrest warrant out of North Dakota for Possession of Narcotic Equipment. She was placed under arrest. Cross told deputies she had property in the car. She identified a bag but said some property inside may belong to the male driver.
The male driver was identified as Kristopher Robert Kent, 39, of Fargo, ND. Cross allowed deputies to go through her bag and said a DeWalt drill bit case was not hers and it belonged to Kent. Kent denied ownership. The drill bit case was opened and it contained several syringes and other drug paraphernalia. A drug K9 was summoned to the scene and indicated on the car. Deputies tried to enter the car to search the vehicle further but the doors locked. Kent, per his request, was staying warm in the back of a squad car. He had the keys and remotely locked the vehicle. After a short discussion, Kent provided the keys to the deputies. A search of Kent’s vehicle resulted in deputies locating 61.9 grams of methamphetamine packaged for possible sale, 2.5 grams of possible heroin, 14 grams of marijuana and $4,100.00 in cash. Cross and Kent were both placed under arrest on an additional charge of First Degree Controlled Substance-Possession of Methamphetamine.