Man Barred From Guns Had Rifle in Garrison Home, Charges Say

A Garrison man barred from having guns because of a prior conviction for a crime of violence had a rifle mounted on his living room wall, along with live ammunition and suspected methamphetamine, when officers searched his home on October 12, according to a criminal complaint filed in Mille Lacs County.

James Geno Crea, 67, faces three charges: possessing ammunition or a firearm after a conviction for a crime of violence, a second count for a firearm violation as a felon convicted of a crime of violence and fifth-degree drug possession.

According to the complaint, the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Crea in July 2026 after a Renville County detective reported that a person who died of an overdose had purchased drugs from him.

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Investigators confirmed that Crea lived in Garrison, the complaint says.

In late September 2026, an investigator observed a vehicle registered to a known drug user parked outside Crea’s home. On October 5, 2026, the investigator conducted a “trash pull” at the residence, collecting a garbage bag placed for pickup.

Inside, investigators found mail addressed to Crea, a blue plastic bottle cap with white residue, a small plastic zip lock baggie, a “tear-off” baggie, a piece of rubber hose, a broken glass pipe with burnt residue, a cell phone SIM card tray and pieces of a ballpoint pen without the tube.

The complaint states that these items are commonly associated with the use, packaging and sale of controlled substances, particularly methamphetamine. None of the items from the trash field-tested positive for methamphetamine or other controlled substances, but the investigator noted that residue can be diluted or washed away in garbage.

Based on this evidence, investigators obtained a search warrant for Crea’s home, which was executed on October 12, 2026. When officers arrived, the complaint says, they saw multiple adults and children leaving through the front door, another adult leaving out the back door who was later arrested on an active Isanti County warrant, and two adults sitting in vehicles in the driveway.

Several people told officers that Crea had left shortly before police arrived and had called ahead to warn them about law enforcement. One person was on the phone with Crea, allowing officers to speak with him and direct him to return to the residence. Crea eventually returned.

During the search, officers found several baggies of suspected methamphetamine and various items of drug paraphernalia throughout the house, the complaint says.

Officers also found a bolt-action .22-caliber rifle with its firing pin intact mounted on the living room wall, two boxes of live .22-caliber ammunition, 87 live rounds of .380 ammunition, a .380 magazine with live rounds and a box for a .380 pistol, though the pistol itself was not found, according to the complaint.

The complaint says Crea is barred from possessing firearms or ammunition because of a 2005 conviction for domestic assault by strangulation, and that he also has a felony DWI conviction involving a controlled substance. It says the investigation is ongoing and that prosecutors expect to file additional or amended drug charges.

The charges were filed October 14 in Mille Lacs County District Court.