Faribault Man Admits Role in Rochester Drug Robbery Case
Rochester, MN (KROC AM News) - One of three men charged in an unusual drug-related case in Rochester has pleaded guilty.
The three are accused of robbing a Rochester police informant.
The first incident happened Jan. 5th when the informant lined up a meeting with a man to buy drugs. The man told the informant to go to a hotel room. A short while later, two men entered the room. One was 38-year-old Richard Patten of Rochester, who pulled out a gun and demanded the $650 the informant had been given by police to buy the drugs. The other man- 50-year-old Larry Schaaf of Faribault - pulled out a knife. Patten also made the informant smoke some methamphetamine, apparently as a test to see if the person was working with police.
Three weeks later, the same informant lined up an undercover buy with another suspected dealer, identified as 36-year-old Daniel Schmitz of Faribault. During their meeting, Patten showed up again and pointed a gun at the informant. He took the $800 the informant had been given. Officers working with the informant recognized Patten’s voice from a hidden transmitter and became concerned about the informant’s safety but the person wasn’t harmed.
Schmitz was scheduled to go on trial Monday but pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony robbery charge. He will be sentenced in September.
The cases against the other two men are pending.
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