Bemidji man arrested in Hubbard County on methamphetamine charge

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

June 23, 1999

By Devlyn Brooks

A 27-year-old Bemidji man has been arraigned for first degree possession of a controlled substance -- the result of a Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force investigation -- according to the Hubbard County Sheriff's Department.

Cory James Kettle, 310 Minnesota Ave. S., Apt. 2, was arrested June 18 on Hubbard County Road 4 for possession of 31 grams of methamphetamine by Hubbard Chief Deputy Tim Archambault.

He was arraigned Monday in Hubbard County District Court, and he is being held in the Hubbard County Jail on $15,000 bail.

According to the complaint, an informant told officers on June 17 that Kettle was distributing methamphetamine, where in Bemidji Kettle lived and what type of vehicle he drove.

In a second telephone call June 18, the informant told officers that Kettle would be delivering drugs to Park Rapids between 2-4 p.m.

About 1:15 p.m. that same day, Kettle was spotted driving a vehicle in the Lake George area, going south on Hubbard County Road 4. He was later stopped by Archambault near Hubbard County Road 18.

Kettle was driving the vehicle, and his girlfriend who owned the car was a passenger.

The girlfriend told an officer that she had illegal drugs in her purse, where Kettle had asked her to hide them.

Kettle faces 30 years in prison, a fine of $1 million or both if convicted.