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Fairmont duo charged with drug counts

aFAIRMONT — A Fairmont man and woman are facing multiple felony charges in Martin County.

Heather Lee-Ann Graham, 43, and Damian Dale Lindsey, 47, are both charged with selling drugs in the first degree, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

They are also both charged with two counts of selling drugs in the second degree, as well as drug possession in the second degree, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

Finally, both face a charge of drug possession in the third degree, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to the complaint:

On Jan. 15, a Fairmont police officer initiated a traffic stop on an SUV with the driver-side headlamp not illuminated. As the officer approached the vehicle, he observed a male driver and female passenger, later identified as Lindsey and Graham. Lindsey said he was borrowing the vehicle.

Lindsey said he did not have his driver’s license with him but he did have his ID. He also said he did not have a Minnesota license because he had moved up from Florida. Lindsey said his Florida license was not valid due to unpaid fines.

Both occupants were unable to produce insurance paperwork, and the officer observed the strong odor of burned marijuana from inside the vehicle.

The officer returned to his squad vehicle and determined that Lindsey’s driving status was revoked in Minnesota and that he had two active warrants. When asked about the odor, Graham said she had just been at a friend’s house smoking weed.

A short time later, officers searched the vehicle and discovered a jacket Lindsey was wearing when the officer first stopped the vehicle. On top of the jacket was a glass pipe that smelled of burned marijuana. Graham said the coat belonged to Lindsey.

Inside the left pocket of the coat the officer discovered plastic baggies containing a crystalline substance, which he believed to be meth. Graham said the marijuana pipe belonged to her.

Graham was placed under arrest and told another officer that she had a meth pipe hidden on her. She removed the pipe and was taken into custody.

The officer also discovered a black pocket scale in the coat that contained a white residue. The residue and the substance in the plastic baggies both tested positive for meth.

Graham was later interviewed and asked if she had ever seen Lindsey sell drugs before. She said she had not, not in a long time.

A red cell phone was later found in the front passenger seat of the vehicle, and a partial text message indicated that someone from Truman was wanting to meet up.

Officers also discovered $143 in cash in Graham’s pocket. No cash was discovered in Lindsey’s pocket.

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