Paullina, Iowa — A Le Mars man is behind bars at the O’Brien County Jail in Primghar on felony drug charges after his arrest on Saturday in Paullina.
According to criminal complaints filed by the O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office with the county Clerk of Court, 36-year-old Adam Bartels of Le Mars was arrested and was charged with drug trafficking, a class B felony; a drug tax stamp violation and OWI (third offense), both class D felonies; and misdemeanor charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and operation without ignition interlock device.
According to the deputy filing the report, Bartels and the deputy had a consensual encounter and during the conversation, the deputy says he observed signs that Bartels was impaired. He says Bartels admitted that he used methamphetamine the night before. Bartels also allegedly admitted that he felt the effects of the methamphetamine at the time of the conversation. The deputy says Bartels was also found to be in possession of a substance that he alegedly admitted was methamphetamine and a glass methamphetamine pipe. According to the deputy, Bartels refused standardized field sobriety tests.
The deputy says he applied for and received a search warrant. Bartels then had a sample of his blood drawn at the MercyOne Hospital in Primghar.
According to the deputy, Bartels has been convicted of two previous OWIs in Iowa within the previous 12 years.
The deputy also says Bartels admitted that he had methamphetamine on the motorcycle he was driving. The deputy tells us Bartels also allegedly possessed a glass methamphetamine pipe and a scale with white crystalline residue on it.
He was arrested and was booked into the O’Brien County Jail. He faces a preliminary hearing on October 10th, 2022.
