Fargo police arrested Joel Patrick Rodriguez Jr. after finding the fleeing pickup parked behind a home and overcoming his resistance.[1] Prosecutors filed seven charges against him on Tuesday in Cass County District Court.[1] The charges include possession with intent to manufacture or deliver marijuana, a Class C felony.[1] He was also charged with possession with intent to manufacture or deliver methamphetamine and fentanyl, each a Class B felony, plus paraphernalia, preventing arrest, repeat fleeing in a vehicle and carrying a concealed weapon.[1]
An officer tried to stop the green pickup for lacking current registration around 4:50 p.m. Monday at 21st Street South and 13th Avenue South.[1] The truck fled at about 70 mph in a 25 mph zone, swerving and running a stop sign while other vehicles, pedestrians and children were outside.[1] A sergeant later saw the truck again without trying to stop it, and officers found it parked behind a home after a witness identified Rodriguez as the driver.[1] Officers arrested Rodriguez after he resisted, and one officer used a Taser.[1]
Officers reported finding what they believed was more than an ounce of marijuana in the center console, alongside suspected methamphetamine, a scale, a realistic BB gun and two cell phones.[1] Rodriguez denied driving, while two people who had been in the truck earlier told police he was driving.[1] A police dog alerted on a tan Silverado parked beside the truck, where officers found 6.25 grams of suspected fentanyl and paperwork in a vehicle police said was stolen from West Fargo in mid-October.[1] Rodriguez was taken to the Cass County Jail, and the docket listed no charge tied to the Silverado.[1] Court records show he had previously pleaded guilty to fleeing a peace officer in a vehicle in a separate Cass County case and was sentenced on March 10, 2025.[1]
