Woman Arrested on Cocaine Charge in Southwest Minneapolis

A Minnetonka woman has been charged with felony drug possession after police say they found cocaine in her purse.

Gabrielle Lyne Anderson, 20, is 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 on Dec. 14 spotted two vehicles idling in the parking lot of a closed business in the area of Lyndale Avenue South and 53rd Street West, according to the criminal complaint, signed by Minneapolis Police Sgt. Thomas Peterson.

As the officer approached the cars—one empty, and the other with three occupants—all three people got out of the car, and a passenger in the back seat began running.

The officer ordered all three back into the car and identified the front-seat passenger as Anderson. The driver told the officer that he had a gun; the officer found the gun during a pat search, along with two plastic bags containing suspected drugs, according to the complaint.

The driver’s identity has not been released.

The officer found two plastic bags containing cocaine in Anderson’s purse. The cocaine weighed 1 gram, according to the complaint.

Anderson has been released from custody on a $3,000 bond. No further court appearances have yet been scheduled in her case.