Man Arrested for Sale and Possession of Meth and Fentanyl in Otter Tail County

Harry Helps Sr. (OTCDF)

Fergus Falls, MN – A Brainerd man was arrested on I-94 in Otter Tail County for sale and possession of meth and fentanyl.

Harry Edward Helps Sr. was taken into custody late Thursday night and made his first court appearance Friday morning. Prosecutors say Helps was a passenger in a vehicle that was coming from the Cities that was pulled over for reckless driving in a construction zone. The state trooper who initiated the traffic stop learned that the vehicle had been stopped within the previous 24 hours and it had drug paraphernalia inside.

The troopers said the driver was placed under arrest and the other occupants were told to exit the vehicle. With the assistance of their K9 dog, the trooper found trace amounts of a white, powdery substance where Helps had been sitting, various drug paraphernalia, and two grocery bags filled with controlled substances; one that weighed 146 grams and field tested positive for methamphetamine, and another that weighed 30 grams and tested positive for fentanyl. The substances were tied off in small baggies inside of larger zip lock bags, consistent with packaging for sale.

The trooper spoke to the driver about the drugs, who told them that Helps had purchased them at a corner store in Minneapolis and he was the only occupant of the vehicle who had the money to buy the drugs.

Helps was arrested and declined to speak with officers. He has been charged with two counts of 1^st degree possession of drugs and two counts of 1^st degree sale of drugs. Helps has a history of drug-related convictions in Otter Tail and Becker Counties.