Over a Pound of Meth Found During Traffic Stop Near Sauk Centre

SAUK CENTRE -- An Alexandria man is in the Stearns County Jail after a traffic stop last week uncovered over a pound of methamphetamine in his car.

The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says a deputy on patrol on I-94 in Sauk Centre Township last Wednesday found an SUV with a taillight out. While talking to the driver, 55-year-old Jeffrey Pennig, the deputy smelled marijuana and saw "a joint sitting in plain view". A police dog was brought in and helped in a search of the vehicle.

During the search, authorities found a plastic baggie with just over 10 grams of meth in the air vent. They also found a pound of meth in a backpack along with scales. The search also turned up a small baggie of marijuana and $850.

Pennig was booked on 1st-degree drug possession and sales.