WINDOM — A Windom man is in police custody after officers discovered illicit items in his home during an investigation.
The initial investigation was prompted by a report that Rodrick Blanco, 36, had shot a deer with a compound bow along Perkins Creek in Windom. A conservation officer from the Department of Natural Resources located the deer carcass and determined that it had, in fact, been killed with a bow.
When the officer went to Blanco's apartment, Blanco allegedly admitted that he had shot multiple deer in the month of May and had not retrieved or butchered the meat. Blanco reportedly consented to a search of his residence, and the officer found the bow that was used to kill the deer, as well as a sawed-off shotgun (illegal for civilians to own) and drug paraphernalia. A more thorough search later yielded a clear plastic baggie full of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.
Because the meth was found in a public housing zone, Blanco was charged with felony third-degree drug possession, for which he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. He was also charged with unlawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun (a felony) and taking game out of season (a gross misdemeanor). He is being held in Cottonwood County Jail.
