On February 26, 2026, at approximately 11:22 A.M., Baxter Officer Adam Casanova was on patrol when he saw a vehicle with a placard hanging from its rear-view mirror traveling directly in front of him on College Drive, in the City of Baxter, Crow Wing County, Minnesota. The placard appeared to obstruct the driver's view of the roadway. Officer Casanova stopped the vehicle and identified the driver as James Foster Wakefield, [DOB REDACTED], the DEFENDANT herein. Another male, identified as S. A. C. (fully identified in law enforcement reports), was seated in the front-passenger seat.
While speaking with DEFENDANT, Officer Casanova saw a torch lighter on the dash and noticed DEFENDANT showing common indicators of recent drug use, including: having a sunken face, pale complexion, clammy skin, and consistently moving his mouth. When asked about drug use, DEFENDANT said he had been clean from methamphetamine for 10 years, but in running DEFENDANT'S information, Officer Casanova learned DEFENDANT had been convicted of a controlled substance offense in 2021. Officer Casanova had DEFENDANT exit the vehicle to perform field sobriety testing and during the tests, DEFENDANT showed several indicators of impairment.
DEFENDANT was placed under arrest for driving under the influence of a controlled substance and his vehicle was searched. In the glove box, Officer Casanova found an Altoids container with a plastic baggie inside. The plastic baggie contained approximately 1.48 grams of field-tested methamphetamine. DEFENDANT was transported to the Crow Wing County Jail, where Officer Casanova applied for and obtained a search warrant for a sample of DEFENDANT'S blood or urine. DEFENDANT provided a urine sample, which was sent to the BCA for testing.
