On May 28, 2026, at approximately 11:31 P.M., an officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle near Stinson and Galtier Streets in St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota. The officer activated the squad’s emergency lights. The driver continued driving eastbound on Wayzata Street then went into a parking lot at [ADDRESS REDACTED]. The vehicle slowly rolled through the parking lot. The officer had the squad’s emergency lights and sirens activated to get the vehicle to stop. The vehicle continued driving and pulled out of the parking lot then went eastbound on Wayzata Street.
The vehicle pulled back into the parking lot of [ADDRESS REDACTED] and eventually stopped. The driver immediately exited the vehicle absent a directive to do so. The officer exited the squad car and took the driver into custody. The driver was identified as TRAVIS CORTEZ BLANCHE – [DOB REDACTED]. The officer smelled freshly burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle. Police also located open containers of suspected marijuana, unopened packages of marijuana, and a grinder full of suspected marijuana in the vehicle.
A Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE) responded to the scene based on the suspicion that BLANCHE was under the influence. The DRE observed that BLANCHE had bloodshot watery eyes, his speech and movements were slow, and his breath smelled like smoke. BLANCHE told the DRE that he smoked a blunt around 3:00 P.M. The DRE administered field sobriety tests. During the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test, the DRE observed distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation in both eyes as well as the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees in both eyes.
During the walk and turn test, the DRE did not notice any signs of impairment other than BLANCHE did not count out loud as directed. During the Modified Romberg Balance test, the DRE observed that BLANCHE’s eyes were fluttering, BLANCHE swayed while he balanced, and BLANCHE estimated 30 seconds as 18 seconds. During the Finger to Nose test, BLANCHE did not properly touch the tip of his finger to the tip of his nose. Based on the DRE’s observations and results, the DRE’s opinion was that BLANCHE was impaired by cannabis.
Pursuant to a search warrant, police obtained a blood sample from BLANCHE. The test results are outstanding. The following information is offered for purposes of Rule 6.02. BLANCHE has the following felony convictions: Fifth Degree Drug Possession (2013), Flee Police in a Motor Vehicle (019), DANCO Violation (2020), and Domestic Assault (2024).
