Zimmerman Man Charged After Struggle With Trooper in Princeton

A Zimmerman man struggled with a state trooper during a Sept. 27 traffic stop in Princeton before saying he had methamphetamine in his pockets, according to charges. The trooper was later found to have a fractured wrist.

Richard Anthony Koel, 57, faces four charges: second-degree drug possession, obstructing legal process and two counts of DWI involving controlled substances.

According to the complaint, a Minnesota State Patrol officer saw a vehicle speeding westbound on Highway 95 in Princeton on Sunday, Sept. 27. The officer clocked the car at 60 mph in a 45-mph zone and noticed the driver was not wearing a seat belt. After stopping the vehicle in Mille Lacs County, the officer identified the driver as Koel, who provided a debit card and personal information but said he did not have his license.

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The officer confirmed Koel’s identity through DVS records and noted an “Any Use” restriction on his driving record.

The complaint states Koel appeared nervous, the car smelled strongly of mouthwash and Koel could not provide proof of insurance. When the officer checked the vehicle’s VIN, he saw an open bottle of Fireball whiskey on the driver’s side floorboard. The officer asked Koel to step out of the car. Koel was slow to respond, kept his hands behind his back and stood unusually far from the front of the patrol vehicle. Even when instructed to, Koel would not move his hands from behind his back.

The officer pat-searched Koel and felt plastic in his pockets but no weapons. Koel said he did not consent to a search. The officer then directed Koel to perform field sobriety tests. Koel did not show signs of impairment on the HGN test but could not converge his eyes, which the officer noted as a possible sign of recent cannabis use.

The officer also observed bloodshot, glassy and watery eyes and that Koel was squinting despite cloudy weather. On other sobriety tests, Koel showed multiple signs of impairment, including lack of balance, using his arms for balance and starting too soon.

While the officer searched Koel’s vehicle, he found an open box of THC gummies, the whiskey bottle, three marijuana pipes with residue and eight Diazepam pills in a prescription bottle for a different drug. When the officer returned to him, Koel began to flee on foot, the complaint says. The officer tackled Koel, who continued to struggle and knocked off the officer’s glasses, breaking them. The officer was later medically evaluated, and it was determined that his wrist had been fractured.

As the officer was handcuffing him, Koel excitedly said he had methamphetamine in his pockets, according to the complaint. The officer searched Koel and recovered two baggies containing a white powdery substance, which tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed about 36.1 grams.

The officer later obtained a blood or urine sample from Koel at M Health Fairview in Princeton under a search warrant.

The charges were filed Tuesday, Sept. 29.