Cass Lake men arraigned for theft

WALKER -- Two Cass Lake men were arraigned in Cass County District Court on felony theft charges.

One is accused of walking behind the counter at two Walker pharmacies and taking drugs. The other is accused of driving him to the scene.

Justin Rodney Howard, 19, is accused of taking Oxycontin from behind the counter at Walker Drug Dec. 31. He is accused of taking MN Contin from behind the counter at Storm Drug Jan. 14.

Darrell Gordon Ryan, 48, owns a black four-door sedan witnesses said was parked in the area of the drug stores at the time of the thefts.

According to the complaints against the two men, witnesses reported seeing a person they identified in a photo line-up as Howard exiting Ryan's sedan and leaving a door of the car ajar shortly before each theft.

Witnesses also said they saw Howard run from Walker Drug Dec. 31 and from Storm Drug Jan. 14. Witnesses described clothing the men wore.

Officers executed a search warrant on the rural Cass Lake residence in Beltrami County where the men reportedly live. The officers confiscated clothing matching witnesses' descriptions, pill bottles and syringes.

Howard and Ryan are scheduled for their first court appearance with their attorneys Monday. Each is being held in Cass County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.