Man, woman from Pennock facing drug sale, child endangerment charges

Linda Vanderwerf, West Central Tribune, Willmar, Minn.
·2 min read

Apr. 27—WILLMAR — A man and woman from Pennock are facing numerous felony charges after a drug task force search of their home.

Ninfa Vallejo, 24, and Remedios Martinez Jr., 26, both made their initial appearances Wednesday in Kandiyohi County District Court.

Vallejo and Martinez each face three first-degree drug sale felonies, two first-degree drug possession felonies, a felony for storing meth waste products in the presence of a child, a gross misdemeanor for endangering a child by permitting the presence of drugs, and a misdemeanor for possession of synthetic cannabinoid.

In addition, Vallejo is charged with possessing a firearm or ammunition after a conviction for a violent crime, also a felony.

Bail for each has been set at $250,000 unconditional bail or $100,000 bail with conditions. Both have been granted public defenders.

Martinez's next court date is April 29, Vallejo's is May 3.

According to court records, the two were arrested in early April after the CEE-VI Drug and Gang Task Force and Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at their home.

Agents found Vallejo in an upstairs bedroom with a 6-month-old baby she said was her niece.

The criminal complaint lists what agents found in a backpack on a chair in the dining room. The list includes two plastic bags with a crystalline substance that tested positive for methamphetamine. The packages weighed about 114 grams, roughly 4 ounces.

Also found were meth paraphernalia, a handgun with ammunition and synthetic cannabinoid and packaging weighing 232 grams, more than 8 ounces. According to the complaint, Vallejo is not allowed to possess a firearm because of her previous drug convictions.

In a statement to agents, Vallejo allegedly denied knowing about drug sales out of the home.

Agents found a purse with meth paraphernalia and documents with Vallejo's name. After denying it was her purse, she agreed it was hers, according to the complaint.

Scales were found in the backpack, on the dining room table and in the purse.

Vallejo said she had about $5,000 in the purse, but some of that belonged to the baby. She said she didn't know of other money in the house.

The purse was found to contain $6,233, and $540 of it was money that had been recorded by the task force to be used by informants to buy drugs.

Agents found $600 in a kitchen drawer and $30,000 in a bedroom safe. Recorded task force funds totaling $1,980 were in the safe.

A large plastic bag of synthetic cannabinoid weighing nearly 466 grams, a little more than a pound, was found in the bedroom.

When he was arrested, Martinez declined to give a statement without a lawyer but told agents the things found in the house were all his, and the drugs were for personal use for his health.

Click to read more about Crime and Courts.

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