Court/Police
Two plead guilty in crystal meth case
Posted: Thursday, Oct 1st, 2009
BY:Jill Fier

Two men have admitted distributing crystal methamphetamine in the local Walmart parking lot earlier this month.

Edwin Hernandez, 29, of Elkton, and Elman Ramirez-Donis, 20, of Estelline, entered guilty pleas in Brookings County Circuit Court on Tuesday.

Hernandez was initially facing four felony counts: two for distributing methamphetamine and two for violating drug-free zones.

He pleaded guilty to two charges: that he distributed crystal meth in the Walmart parking lot on Sept. 9; and that doing so was within 500 feet of the Walmart arcade, which is a drug-free zone.

In exchange, State’s Attorney Clyde Calhoon dismissed charges alleging that Hernandez distributed a half-ounce of methamphetamine on Aug. 17 in the Guadalajara parking lot. The lot is within 1,000 feet of Hillcrest Park, also a drug-free zone.

Ramirez-Donis was initially facing six felony charges: three for distributing methamphetamine and three for violating drug-free zones.

He pleaded guilty to the same two as Hernandez, that he distributed crystal meth on Sept. 9 in the Walmart parking lot, within 500 feet of the store’s arcade.

Calhoon dismissed two charges alleging that Ramirez-Donis distributed a half-ounce of methamphetamine on Aug. 17 in the Guadalajara parking lot, within 1,000 feet of Hillcrest Park. Two more charges, also dismissed, accused Ramirez-Donis of distributing one ounce of methamphetamine on Sept. 2 in the Walmart parking lot, within 500 feet of the store’s arcade.

Calhoon said that on Sept. 9, both men sold drugs to an agent with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, who was investigating the pair in cooperation with the Brookings Police Department and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.

The undercover agent had prior contact with the pair and arranged to purchase 7.6 ounces of crystal meth for $12,000, Calhoon said. Before the suspects could leave the parking lot, they were both apprehended, with the money and the drugs recovered.

Calhoon said the defendants will not face any additional charges. He is also recommending the mandatory minimum sentences for both: one year for distributing methamphetamine and five years for violating a drug-free zone, with the prison terms to run consecutively.

Circuit Judge Vincent Foley accepted the guilty pleas on Tuesday. He ordered pre-sentence investigations for Hernandez and Ramirez-Donis, and both will be back in court for sentencing on Oct. 27.

Foley revoked bond for both men, who are in the country illegally and also remain in custody on an immigration hold. An interpreter was on hand to translate for the defendants at their Tuesday court hearings.

Contact Jill Fier at jfier@brookingsregister.com.
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