Felon Charged After Gun Range Outburst Leads to Drug Bust
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A convicted felon is charged after a disorderly conduct call at a Rochester gun range led police to a stash of cocaine, handguns and drug materials at his apartment.
The charges were filed last week in Olmsted County District Court.
Adolph Donta Valentine, 42, of Rochester, faces four felony counts — first-degree drug sale, first-degree drug possession and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm. He's currently in custody with bail set at $200,000 without conditions.
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According to the criminal complaint, officers with the Rochester Police Department responded to Coyote Creek Outdoors on Monday, Feb. 16 after employees reported a disorderly conduct situation. Valentine and three others had rented pistols, purchased ammunition and shot at the range, with all four providing driver's licenses.
After Valentine finished shooting, his paper target fell off the holder. He demanded staff shut down the range so he could retrieve it for photos. When staff offered him a new target instead, Valentine began screaming and swearing at employees. Staff called police, but the group left before officers arrived.
An employee recognized Valentine from prior contacts and realized he was a felon. Investigators pulled records from the transactions and found Valentine had used his credit card to rent two pistols and buy ammunition.
The range also provided video showing Valentine shooting while wearing a neon green jacket and a white Chicago White Sox stocking cap.
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Detectives began investigating where Valentine lived and identified two possible addresses through records and surveillance. On Tuesday, March 3, officers executed a search warrant at Sutton Place Apartments in Rochester and placed Valentine under arrest.
Inside the apartment, court documents say officers found paper shooting targets from Coyote Creek with "Lord" — a known alias for Valentine — written on them, along with the White Sox hat and neon green sweatshirt from the range video.
Officers also found a Taurus 9mm pistol, a bag containing multiple plastic baggies of white powder and rock substances that field-tested positive for cocaine and weighed 79 grams, 10 pills that tested positive for amphetamine, multiple digital scales, a cutting agent, scissors and $1,000 in cash. The cocaine was packaged in amounts of about an ounce per bag, which investigators say is consistent with drug sales.
Officers executed a second search warrant at a separate address in the 3700 block of Willow Ridge Drive Southwest, where they found a Ruger 9mm pistol. A woman at that residence told investigators Valentine had clothes, property and a key there but denied the firearm was hers.
Court records show Valentine previously served a 158-month prison sentence for a first-degree drug sale conviction in Olmsted County. The enhanced penalty provisions on his current drug charges require that less than 10 years have elapsed since discharge from that sentence.
Valentine's bail is set at $200,000 without conditions. He's due back in court on March 18. If convicted on the top counts, he faces four to forty years in prison and up to a $1 million fine.
Adolph Donta Valentine, 42, of Rochester, faces four felony counts — first-degree drug sale, first-degree drug possession and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm