FAIRMONT — An Elmore man is facing a felony charge in Martin County.

Scott Christopher Goodrich, 34, has been charged with drug possession in the fifth degree, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the complaint:

At 3:20 p.m. Dec. 3, a Minnesota State Patrol trooper was in Fairmont when he observed a pickup truck waiting at a stop sign at the intersection of Adams Avenue and Highway 15. The trooper observed the male driver was not wearing a seat belt.

The trooper drove to the east entrance of the Hy-Vee gas station and entered the parking lot while the pickup pulled up to a gas pump. The driver got out of the truck and the trooper drove past and ran the license plate. The vehicle was registered to an individual from Blue Earth.

While the trooper was waiting for a pump to become available, he called the Blue Earth police chief and asked if he knew the individual who owned the truck in question. The chief informed the trooper that Goodrich is known to own the vehicle, and he believed he did not have a valid license.

As the trooper began to drive toward the truck, the driver pulled away from the pump and abruptly pulled into a stall in the gas station parking lot. The driver then exited the vehicle and popped the hood, as if to work on the engine. The trooper believed the driver did not want to be caught driving.

The trooper activated his emergency lights and made contact with the driver, who was later identified as Goodrich. Upon contact, the trooper observed Goodrich had bloodshot and watery eyes. Goodrich then sat down in the driver’s seat looking for his license and insurance card.

The trooper observed that the truck looked lived in, with several items of clothing and tools throughout. Goodrich began to rummage through a red duffel bag and the trooper felt uncomfortable, not knowing if there were any weapons in the bag. He told Goodrich to stop, and to step outside the vehicle and leave the bag inside.

Goodrich exited the vehicle still holding the bag, and the trooper demanded loudly that he put the bag back in the truck. The trooper then patted down the exterior of Goodrich’s clothing for weapons. In the front left pants pocket, the trooper felt a hard object that he believed to be a glass pipe used to smoke meth.

The trooper retrieved the pipe, which he was able to verify as a meth pipe, and could observe a heavy residue of meth in the pipe. Goodrich was detained and, upon further searching of Goodrich, the trooper found a small clear baggie in a sweatshirt pocket that contained a white crystal substance. The trooper recognized the substance as meth and Goodrich said he “forgot about that.”

The vehicle was searched, and officers found a small baggie that appeared to contain meth residue, tinfoil with drug residue and lithium batteries that had been taken apart. Lithium batteries are commonly used to manufacture meth.

Goodrich was transported to the Martin County Jail, where he was read his rights and agreed to perform field sobriety tests. During the tests, the trooper observed clues of impairment. The trooper also observed that Goodrich’s tongue was white and caked over with multiple sores.

Goodrich admitted to using meth the previous evening and admitted he still felt the effects.

A check on Goodrich’s driving record indicates his license to drive in Minnesota is currently revoked.