On February 20, 2026, at approximately 2:13 P.M., a Hennepin County Sheriff's Deputy responded to a driver slumped in their vehicle at the intersection of Elm Creek Boulevard North and Jefferson Highway in Maple Grove, Hennepin County. When the deputy arrived, he observed a blue sedan facing east in the left turn lane. The vehicle was partially in the intersection and blocking traffic, with multiple individuals outside their vehicle. The vehicle was a blue Saturn (MN NDM975). The driver was an adult male, laying back with his eyes closed, foot on the brake, and the vehicle in Drive.
As the deputy moved to check the door, the driver startled and the car began rolling forward. The deputy instructed the driver to put the vehicle in park. The driver told the deputy he just fell asleep but provided different stories of what he had been doing. The driver was later identified as JEFFREY ALLEN ELLINGBOE [DOB REDACTED], Defendant herein. The deputy observed a small square lockbox in the backseat he recognized to be for methadone usage. Defendant confirmed it was for methadone. The deputy asked Defendant to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety testing.
During the tests the deputy observed clues of impairment. The deputy asked Defendant to provide a preliminary breath sample which showed results of 0.00 BAC. Given Defendant's clues of impairment and the circumstances of the stop, the deputy placed Defendant under arrest for suspect driving while impaired. As Defendant was brought back to the squad, he told police he had stuff on him and reached into his underwear to pull out a clear plastic round container with a purple lid containing a white rock-like substance.
The substance was later tested at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and contained 1.167 grams of cocaine and fentanyl. Police inventoried Defendant's vehicle and located a small straw consistent with drug use and multiple pieces of tinfoil with burnt char and residue. Defendant was transported to the hospital and provided a blood sample pursuant to a search warrant. On March 31, 2026, the BCA report showed Defendant had fentanyl and norfentanyl in his system on the date of incident. At present, Defendant is not in custody.
