A man indicted in Carroll County District Court last week on a drug trafficking charge has pled not guilty. Court records show this is the third time in 10 months 33-year-old Nicholas Russell Pickering, who has listed residences in Carroll, Maple River and Lake City, has been arrested on similar charges. He faces one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, a class B felony. The charge stems from a May 11 traffic stop by the Carroll Police Department and Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. Law enforcement located $137 in cash, baggies containing crystal methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Pickering filed a written not guilty plea Wednesday and remains in custody at the Carroll County jail. His bond is set at $25,000. He waived his right to a speedy trial, but a date has not been set for jury proceedings to begin. Pickering was also arrested on drug trafficking charges in November 2020 and again in February 2021. As part of an agreement with prosecutors, Pickering pled guilty to reduced charges in that case and was placed on probation in lieu of a prison sentence. A probation revocation hearing for this latest violation is slated for Sept. 23.
