Redwood Falls men sentenced for drug offenses in separate incidents

Two Redwood Falls men were convicted of felony drug offenses in Redwood County District Court in separate cases last week.

In the first, Gavin Gerald Zempel, age 25, was found by the Redwood Falls Police Department in an apartment complex on August 21, 2019. Police had originally been called because of a noise complaint from a unit occupied by Zempel. When officers investigated, they noticed the scent of burnt marijuana as they were approaching the building. From inside, they heard a voice say, “Hide the stuff.”
Based on the scene and observations of individuals inside apparently hiding objects, officers applied for a search warrant. Officers found numerous items containing marijuana, ecstacy pills, and LSD. As officers removed the last of the evidence, Zempel stated, “… you just cleaned us out.”
Gavin Gerald Zempel was sentenced last week of felony controlled substance crime in the fifth degree to 365 days in the redwood County jail, with 363 days of that time stayed for two years, and two years supervised probation.

In the second case, Traivel Lamont Wingo, age 43, was apprehended by a Minnesota Department of Corrections agent assisted by the Redwood Falls Police Department, on a warrent of apprehension.
When the agent located Wingo in a Redwood Falls apartment complex on December 8, 2020, Wingo was found with methamphetamine paraphernalia with residue, and a loose battery that had been the one in the electronic monitoring device in his ankle bracelet.
Traivel Lamont Wingo was sentenced last week of felony controlled substance crime in the fifth degree to the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud for 24 months, with credit for 287 days time served.