Bounty hunter nabs Minneapolis woman charged in Beltrami County

BEMIDJI -- A Minneapolis woman who attempted to outrun the law appeared Monday in Beltrami County District Court.

Delisha Rae Rodriguez, 25, was arrested south of Bemidji in May when she and two men attempted to transport 43 grams of methamphetamine from Minneapolis to the Red Lake Indian Reservation, according to court documents.

Rodriguez is charged with felony first-degree drug sale, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. One of her conspirators, Joseph Jacob Thunder III, 47, of Redby, was sentenced to 69 months in prison in August. The second man, Alex Dejesus-Zuniga, 19, of Richfield, Minn., is scheduled for sentencing in Beltrami County on Oct. 27.

A warrant was issued for Rodriguez's arrest Sept. 19 after she violated conditions of her release. Her bail was set at $100,000. James Cumler, a bounty hunter with U.S. Bail and Fugitive Enforcement, picked her up in Minneapolis nine days later.

Cumler said Rodriguez was in hiding on the Red Lake Reservation but fled to the Twin Cities when she realized local law enforcement had been alerted to her presence.

Cumler and his partner surveyed a residence on the 3700 block of 19th Ave. S in Minneapolis for two days before locating her in a vehicle the evening of Sept. 28. "She was hiding in the back seat underneath a blanket," Cumler said.

Cumler said an airsoft pistol with the orange tip broke off was within reach of Rodriguez when she was located in hiding.

Rodriguez was turned over to Minneapolis Police for Hennepin County warrants, Cumler said. Rodriguez is scheduled to appear in Hennepin County Court in November on damage to property, giving peace officer a false name and driving after suspension charges.

Rodriguez was released from Hennepin County Jail on Thursday and booked into the Beltrami County Jail. Rodriguez is being held in the Beltrami County Jail on $75,000 conditional bail. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 9.