On 5/15/2026 at approximately 9:31 pm, an Eagan police officer was on routine patrol near the intersection of Eagandale Place and Lone Oak Road in the City of Eagan, Dakota County. He observed a vehicle cross over the centerline while driving on Eagandale Place. He followed and stopped the vehicle, which pulled into a parking lot and parked. As the officer approached the vehicle, he observed the occupants making furtive movements and they appeared to be moving things around inside the vehicle. The officer spoke with the driver, who admitted she did not have a driver’s license.
Officers discovered that the driver also had an active felony probation warrant for a drug charge. After confirming the warrant, the driver was placed into custody. As the officer had been speaking with the driver, the passenger voluntarily identified herself as JOELLE LEE ERICKSON [DOB REDACTED], the Defendant. ERICKSON was told she was free to leave. Officers went to secure the vehicle as ERICSON was walking away and in looking through the window of the car observed a clear plastic baggie containing a white crystal-like substance, which appeared consistent with being a controlled substance.
The officer stopped ERICKSON from leaving and asked her to return to the car. He then secured the suspected controlled substances. ERICKSON and the driver both denied knowing anything about the baggie. ERICKSON had three bags in her possession, a purse and two grocery bags. ERICKSON stated that the grocery bags contained items belonging to both her and the driver. The officer asked ERICKSON if he could search her bags, and she gave her consent for the bags to be searched. Inside the purse the officer located a clear plastic sandwich baggie of what appeared to be a controlled substance.
The officer then placed ERICKSON under arrest. Also inside the purse was a wallet containing ERICKSON’s driver’s license. The substance in the baggie located in the vehicle tested positive for fentanyl with a net weight of 6.97 grams. The substance in the baggie located inside ERICKSON’s purse tested positive for fentanyl with a net weight of 13.24 grams.
