On April 7, 2026, at approximately 9:03 P.M., an officer with the North Branch Police Department was on patrol in North Branch, within Chisago County, Minnesota. While on patrol, the officer was following a vehicle that was traveling at an unusually slow pace of 5-10 miles per hour and was positioning itself nearly in the center of the roadway while traveling southbound on Golden Avenue. The vehicle eventually turned into the driveway of a residence without signaling within 100 feet of the maneuver.
Upon entering the driveway, the vehicle parked at the end of said driveway rather than pulling into a designated parking spot. The vehicle then promptly shut off all of its lights. Based on these observations and coupled with his own training and experience, the officer formed the belief that the vehicle's operator was attempting to evade the officer's presence. To test this belief, the officer continued southbound on Golden Avenue then onto 403rd St. The officer then turned off his headlights and taillights and positioned his vehicle to determine whether the suspect vehicle would depart again.
Moments later, the officer observed the suspect vehicle's headlights and taillights activate, followed by the illumination of its reverse lights. The vehicle then proceeded northbound back towards Forest Boulevard. The officer notes that the neighborhood in which these events transpired is known for a pattern of frequent drug-related activity. At or near the intersection of Golden Avenue and Forest Boulevard, the officer caught up to the suspect vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. The officer approached the driver's side window of the vehicle and identified the driver through his driver's license as MATTHEW TYLER HAMMILL, [DOB REDACTED] ("the Defendant"). A passenger in the front passenger seat was identified as Y. T. The officer inquired about the Defendant's unusual driving behavior, to which the Defendant responded that he was searching for his friend's residence but was unfortunately struggling to find it.
Through the course of the rest of the officer's conversation with the Defendant, the Defendant's story and explanations were not adding up, including claims to be traveling to the house of a friend who (A) was not aware of the Defendant's visit, (B) whose number the Defendant did not have, and (C) whose address the Defendant was not sure of. The officer then requested assistance from other officers, including one with a K-9 partner. When asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, the Defendant glanced quickly to his right at Y. T. And asserted "No, sir." The officer ultimately had the occupants exit the vehicle and advised that he was requesting this in order to have a K-9 conduct a sniff search of the vehicle.
When asked if he had any weapons on his person, the Defendant responded in the negative. The Defendant granted a pat-down search by the officer, during which the Defendant confessed to possessing illegal items in his right front pocket. Upon feeling what appeared to be a glass pipe in that pocket, the officer detained the Defendant. As the officer continued to search the Defendant for weapons, the officer distinctly felt what seemed to be a small plastic baggie located in his sweatshirt pocket, directly over his stomach.
