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BACKUS - Methamphetamine, heroine and prescription drug abuse are on the rise statewide, Victor Moen told the Cass County Board Tuesday.

Moen is the northeast district supervisor for Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC), a nine-county area that covers from Morrison County to the Arrowhead.

Methamphetamine use dropped for a while after Minnesota made it harder to purchase some over-the-counter drugs to manufacture it locally, Moen said. Trafficking from Mexico has made it more available again, he explained.

The DOC oversees adult felony probationers in Cass County, while county probation oversees adult offenders sentenced for misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors and all juvenile offenders.

Moen's report to the county board showed drug offenses by far the largest cause of felony probation cases in Cass during 2014, with 160 cases. The next highest reason for felony probation was the 46 for assault, followed by 40 for felony DWI, 39 for burglary, 30 for theft, 23 for domestic assault, 19 for criminal sexual conduct, 16 for counterfeiting or fraud, 13 for against justice and 11 for escape/flight. All other felony offenses had less than 10 probationers.

There were 423 people on probation for a felony at the beginning of 2014. Agents assumed 127 new cases and removed 124 from probation. At the end of 2014, they managed 434 felony cases.

DOC probation office in Walker includes four corrections agents and one office support staff.

One agent is assigned to supervise felony sex offenders countywide and classified high risk offenders in southern Cass.

He oversees the outpatient sex offender treatment program, which Upper Mississippi Mental Health Center from Bemidji facilitates. Twelve probationers attend one half day treatment group session per week.

The second agent oversees higher risk offenders in northern Cass. This agent is also a motivational interviewing trainer and will soon be trained as a motivational interview quality assurance reviewer, Moen said.

The third agent is a traditional probation agent, primarily working at the Walker office, but also visiting offices at Cass Lake city hall and Pine River police station.

The fourth agent oversees lower risk offenders and works with Cass's Wellness Court. She also co-facilitates a weekly domestic abuse men's re-education program with Leech Lake Behavioral Health.

Minnesota DOC also provides case management for people released from prison on parole after serving what commonly is two-thirds of their sentence in a state prison. DOC agents based in Bemidji oversee those cases, Moen said.

They currently are managing 55 parolees, he said.

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