Eden Prairie Woman, Wisconsin Man Charged with Heroin Possession

An Eden Prairie woman and a man from Wisconsin have been charged with felony drug possession after police say they found heroin in their car.

Emily Julianna Alberts, 24, of Eden Prairie, and Chad Louis Pickney, 35, of Altoona, WI, are each charged with fifth-degree drug possession, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

A Minneapolis police officer on routine patrol Dec. 11 in the 700 block of Broadway Avenue West spotted a car with expired Wisconsin license plates, according to the criminal complaint, signed by Minneapolis Police Sgt. Thomas Peterson.

The officer stopped the car, and as he approached, he saw the driver, Pickney, and the passenger, Alberts, moving their hands, reaching in front of themselves, to their sides and under their seats, according to the complaint.

The officer also saw spoons containing suspected narcotics residue and cellophane wrappers “in plain view” in the car, the complaint says.

Alberts and Pickney tried to put their hands over a cigarette box on the car’s center console as the officer reached the car. The officer could also see orange syringe caps sticking out of Pickney’s pocket, the complaint charges.

Alberts and Pickney were removed from the car, and the officer conducted a search. He found a bindle of heroin weighing .2 grams in the cigarette box, according to the complaint.

Alberts and Pickney have been released from custody on separate $3,000 bonds. Both have omnibus hearings scheduled Feb. 13 in Hennepin County District Court.