A Carroll man accused of drug trafficking in District Court for Carroll County has been scheduled for trial near the end of April. According to court records, 49-year-old Chad Michael Hess submitted a not guilty plea Thursday to one count of delivery of a controlled substance, a class C felony with habitual offender enhancements. The charge stems from an investigation by the Coon Rapids Police Department, which found Hess had sold approximately 1.5 grams of methamphetamine on May 16 in Coon Rapids. Hess has a history of drug-related convictions, including trafficking in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2015 and possession of controlled substances in 2003 and 2006. A pretrial conference has been scheduled for Monday, April 20 with jury proceedings set to begin April 28. A class C felony carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
