PRIOR LAKE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Vadnais Heights man is facing multiple charges after police say he showed a handgun to children running a lemonade stand and let them handle it, all while having an open package of marijuana in his vehicle.
Lakefront Park incident
What we know:
Officers with the Prior Lake Police Department responded around 5:54 p.m. on Monday, June 16, after a report that a man showed a gun to children at Lakefront Park. The reporting party told police her children were running a lemonade stand when a man approached, tried to pay with a counterfeit $100 bill, then pulled out a black satchel and showed them a handgun.
What they're saying:
The children, ages 11 and 13, told officers the man handed them the bag with the gun inside before taking it back and leaving. The children’s mother confirmed the man’s identity to police at the scene. Officers found a man matching the description sitting by a pickup truck.
He was identified as Cole Manning Wright, 23, of Vadnais Heights. Wright told police he was there to meet a girl and had bought lemonade from the kids, but denied having a gun.
Officers search vehicle and make arrest
Timeline:
Officers asked a female passenger to exit the truck due to the report of a handgun. As she got out, officers saw an open package of marijuana in the front of the vehicle. Police then searched the vehicle and found a handgun in a black bag. Wright told officers he was showing the children his truck when one of the kids found the bag with the gun inside the vehicle. He was arrested and taken to the Scott County Jail.
Wright faces four charges: two counts of furnishing a dangerous weapon to a child under 14 without parental consent, one count of carrying a pistol in public without a permit, and one count of having an open package of cannabis in a vehicle.
The Source: This story uses information from a complaint and order of detention filed in Scott County District Court.