An Illinois man arrested in March in Faribault and charged with two felony first-degree controlled substance abuse counts was sentenced to more than six years in prison Monday in Rice County District Court.

Reginald Gales, 27, of Marham, Illinois, was sentenced to 74 months in prison.

Rice County Attorney John Fossum prosecuted the case and said the sentence was, "Consistent with the guidance from the legislature and the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission."

According to the criminal complaint in the case, on March 4 of this year, officers were called to the Days Inn Motel in Faribault after Gales checked into the motel and a strong odor of marijuana "emanated from him" and staff sprayed the area with air freshener to get rid of the smell.

Gales was driving a van with Minnesota license plates registered to a man with prior controlled substance convictions.

The housekeeping staff told officers they were excluded from cleaning the room Gales was staying in.

Faribault police officiers walked by the room and smelled "fresh marijuana in the hallway" and obtained a search warrant for the vehicle.

As officers prepared to search the van, Gales got in and started to leave but was stopped by a Rice County Sheriff's Deputy and two Faribault police officers.

According to the complaint, inside the van officers discovered a digital scale with a white substance on it, more than $2,500 cash was "on the person of Reginald Gales" and in the room they found over "222 grams of a white substance field tested positive for cocaine."

Gales entered a plea of guilty in April and was sentenced Monday at the bottom of the guidelines range, Fossum said.

 

Illinois Man Sentenced in Rice County Minnesota
File photo by Gordy Kosfeld
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