Woodbury Man Pleads Not Guilty To Meth Possession, Jury Trial Set

A 38-year-old Woodbury man who was in February pleaded not guilty in Washington County court on Thursday afternoon.

But District Court Judge Gary R. Schurrer found enough probable cause against John Albert Gerst to suggest a crime did occur and set a jury trial date for April 9. 

During a search of Gerst's vehicle following a Feb. 2 arrest in Forest Lake, police found a half-empty bottle of Bacardi rum, a scale used for weighing drugs and 5.5 grams of what was later found to be methamphetamine. 

At the time of his arrest, Gerst was serving five years probation for a and had been ordered to remain drug-free until 2016.

If convicted of third-degree possession of more than three grams of meth, Gerst could face up to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, as it would be his second drug-related conviction.

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