Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

An Austin man who is awaiting disposition on charges of drug sales, firearm possession and theft in Mower County made an appearance on Tuesday in the Olmsted County District Court.

Anthony Barrett Graham, 36, has pleaded not guilty to charges of felony first-degree drugs – sale – 17 grams or more – cocaine or methamphetamine within a 90-day period, felony third-degree burglary – steal – and felony theft.

According to the court complaints, an investigator with the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office conducted a controlled methamphetamine purchase from Graham on March 17 utilizing a confidential informant (CI). The CI arranged the purchase, was searched and provided with a recording device and $800 in buy money. Law enforcement then monitored the CI, who went to a residence in Rochester. While inside, law enforcement heard the CI speaking to someone on the phone about where to make the purchase. The CI then left the residence and met with Graham at Cooke Park, where the purchase was made. The CI could be heard talking about prices and weights during the interaction.

After the purchase, the CI met with law enforcement at a predetermined location and surrendered a plastic bag containing 25.56 grams of a crystalline substance, which tested positive for methamphetamine. The CI confirmed Graham had sold the drugs for $400.

A Rochester Police Department community service officer responded to a reported burglary on April 23 at a storage facility in Rochester. An employee reported that one of the units had been broken into with bolt cutters between the hours of 3:43 a.m. and 5:35 a.m. on April 6.

The officer made contact with the unit’s renter, who said he was contacted on April 18 by an employee of the storage facility and informed the lock to his unit was missing. On April 21, the victim  went to the storage facility and found items missing out of the unit and his lock sitting on a shelf. The following items were missing:

• Snowboard with bindings attached, valued at $1,000;

• Winter clothing, valued at $500;

• Angle grinder, valued at $150;

• 100-piece socket kit, valued at $125; and

• Scuba camera and case, valued at $500.

Surveillance video from April 6 showed a male and female suspect entering the storage facility at about 3:43 a.m. The female was renting two storage units and used her access code to gain entry. At 4:39 a.m., the male suspect approached the victim’s unit and used a bolt cutter to cut the padlock. Both the male and female suspect then exited the storage facility and entered the vehicle they arrived in. Twelve minutes later, the male suspect re-entered the building wearing different clothes and started removing items from the victim’s storage unit.

The footage showed that after the male suspect changed clothes, he continued to wear the same hat and bandana he had been wearing before changing clothes. He was also seen carrying  the same bag.

Rochester police identified Graham as the male suspect after positively matching the footage with one of Graham’s booking photos.

A review of Graham’s criminal record shows prior convictions for drug possession, domestic assault, possessing methamphetamine precursors with intent to manufacture, violating a no contact order and multiple counts of theft. He is currently awaiting disposition on charges in Mower County of felony second-degree drugs – sale of 10 grams or more of a narcotic drug other than heroin, felony third-degree drugs – possess 10 grams or more of a narcotic drug other than heroin, felony theft – take/use/transfer movable property without consent, felony second-degree drugs – sale of three grams or more of methamphetamine – possess firearm, felony third-degree drugs – sale of narcotic, felony fifth-degree drug possession, felony violent felon in possession of a firearm and felony violent felon in possession of firearm ammunition. He is also awaiting disposition on a charge of felony third-degree drugs – possess 10 grams or more of a narcotic drug other than heroin in Olmsted County.