Morton woman found guilty of possession of controlled substances Thursday

A Redwood County District Court jury found Penny Lane Arredondo, 50, guilty on Thursday for multiple counts of possessing illegal drugs.

According to the criminal complaint, testimony and evidence presented at trial, the  Redwood County Sheriff’s Office observed Arredondo driving westbound on CSAH 24 near  Nobles Avenue around 7:15 p.m. on April 22, 2021. The deputy was aware Arredondo’s drivers’ license was cancelled as an inimical risk to public safety. The deputy  initiated a traffic stop and confirmed Arredondo was driving and that her license was still  cancelled.

When Arredondo was informed she would be placed under arrest she became upset and argumentative with officers on scene, and physically resisted officer’s attempts to place her in  handcuffs. Both responding officers’ received minor injuries as a result of the altercation with  Arredondo.

Officers were eventually able to handcuff Arredondo and transport her to the  Redwood County Jail. During a search of her person at the Jail, officers located two Lorazepam  pills and two Methylphenidate Hydrochloride pills, both of which are controlled substances. The  four pills were located in a prescription pill bottle for Alprazolam.  

Penny Lane Arredondo was found guilty of two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance, one count of Introducing Contraband into Jail,  one count of Driving After Cancellation as an Inimical to Public Safety, and one count of  Obstructing Legal Process, County Attorney Jenna Peterson announced Monday. The jury  deliberated for approximately an hour on Thursday, March 31st, before delivering the guilty  verdicts around 7:00 p.m. 

Tom Borgen, Assistant Redwood County Attorney, who prosecuted the case, told the jury  in his closing argument, “The squad videos corroborated the officer’s testimony and refuted  Defendant’s version of events.”  

Arredondo will be sentenced May 9th at the Redwood County Courthouse.