At approximately 1:16 P.M. On August 14, 2024, Wright County Sheriff’s Deputy Joseph Micka was dispatched to a traffic complaint. Dispatch received a call from J. A. D., who reported a black Ford Escape bearing license plate [PLATE REDACTED] was traveling east on US Highway 12 SE, passed in a turn lane, was speeding, hit a curb a couple times, and ran a red light. While Deputy Micka was en route, J. A. D. Told dispatch that the driver was a male and that the vehicle pulled into Flippin Bills gas station.
Deputy Micka found the vehicle parked in Flippin Bills’ parking lot in Delano, Wright County, Minnesota. The vehicle was running, and it was occupied by a single male who was later identified as Mark Anthony Galatovich [DOB REDACTED] (hereinafter “the defendant”). The defendant was passed out and sleeping, and his shirt was wet from drooling. His hands were resting in his lap. He was holding a clear glass pipe with burnt residue in his left hand, and there was a piece of tinfoil with burnt residue on it in his right hand.
A blue lighter was also in his lap. When Deputy Micka knocked on the driver’s window, the defendant slowly raised his head and looked at Deputy Micka with a blank stare. The defendant’s eyes were bloodshot and red, and his pupils were constricted to the size of a pinpoint. When the defendant slowly rolled down his window, Deputy Micka smelled a burnt chemical odor in the vehicle. When asked if he was smoking methamphetamine, the defendant shook his head yes. An NCIC search indicated the defendant’s driver’s status is revoked.
When Deputy Micka reapproached the defendant and asked if he was smoking meth, the defendant said, “yup.” He admitted to smoking methamphetamine “this morning.” He denied drinking alcohol. He said he had only smoked methamphetamine. When the defendant performed field sobriety tests, Deputy Micka noticed clues of impairment. The defendant took a preliminary breath test, with a result of 0.000 BAC. The defendant was arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired. A plastic straw was located in the defendant’s pocket.
The clear glass pipe was collected from the vehicle for evidence. Also in the vehicle were multiple pieces of tinfoil with burnt residue, a roll of tinfoil, and various lighters. A glass bottle with cork and a white crystal substance was later found under the back seat of the vehicle. That substance was sent to a laboratory for analysis. Deputy Micka obtained a signed search warrant for a sample of the defendant’s blood or urine. Deputy Micka transported the defendant to the Buffalo Hospital. The defendant was given a copy of the search warrant and informed that refusal to submit to a test is a crime.
The defendant consented to a blood test. A lab technician took a blood sample from the defendant at 3:17 P.M. The blood sample was sent to a laboratory for analysis. A lab report dated October 10, 2024 indicated that the white crystal substance was 9.867 gram(s) +/- 0.006 gram(s) containing methamphetamine. A lab report dated October 08, 2024 indicated that the blood sample was positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine, which are both Schedule II controlled substances.
