Convicted Rochester Drug Dealer Faces Prison For New Conviction

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Rochester man who was given a chance to avoid prison for a drug-dealing conviction last year has admitted to another drug-dealing crime.

The case against 27-year-old Demontae Shannon Bragg was scheduled to go to trial today in Olmsted County Court, but instead he entered into a plea agreement that calls for a prison sentence. Court records show that Bragg was charged with second-degree drug sales, third-degree drug possession, a gross misdemeanor count of introducing contraband into the jail, and several misdemeanor traffic-related offenses, including DWI.

READ MORE: Traffic Stop Leads to New Drug Charges for Rochester Man on Probation

New Conviction Stems From Traffic Stop

The charges stemmed from a traffic stop in downtown Rochester in August of last year. The criminal complaint says a Rochester police officer on routine patrol observed erratic behavior by the driver of the car and learned that the registered owner had a canceled driver’s license.

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The court document says the arresting officer noted signs of impairment, which led to Bragg undergoing field sobriety tests and the administration of a preliminary breath test. It measured Bragg’s blood-alcohol concentration at 0.11. Tests conducted on a sample of blood later obtained from Bragg put his BAC at just under 0.09 and also found evidence of cannabis use.

He Handed Over Drugs at the Jail

According to the criminal complaint, Bragg exhibited behavior that led to suspicion that he might be in possession of contraband. After he was warned that bringing substances into the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center could be a criminal offense, the court document says Bragg handed over a plastic bag that contained 19 spindles of cocaine weighing just over 21 grams.

Bragg today entered a guilty plea to the second-degree drug sales charge and a fifth-degree drug possession charge in a different case. In exchange, the other charges were dismissed.

Plea Deal Calls For Prison Time

He is scheduled to be sentenced in February, and the plea deal calls for a 75-month prison term. It also recommends that Bragg be required to serve a 73-month prison sentence that was stayed last year after he was convicted of a first-degree drug charge and placed on probation.

Snapchat Posts Spark Earlier Drug Investigation

The criminal complaint in that case says Rochester police used a confidential informant for controlled buys of more than 30 grams of cocaine from Bragg in two separate transactions. He became the target of an investigation after the informant told police that Bragg was using Snapchat posts to advertise cocaine for sale.

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