A 40-year-old Rochester man made his initial appearance Wednesday in Olmsted County District Court, accused of being associated with more than a half-pound of cocaine during a drug investigation.
Donyale Damon Gayles, of 2040 8 1/2 St. SE, has been charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree controlled substance crime and five counts of first-degree controlled substance crime, all felonies, as well as three gross misdemeanor counts of child endangerment-possession of a controlled substance.
He's been released from custody in lieu of $50,000 conditional bail and is due back in court July 6.
According to the criminal complaint against him, between Jan. 13 and Feb. 8, Gayles sold a total of 117.8 grams, or 4.2 ounces of cocaine for an undisclosed amount of money. On at least one of the occasions, a small child opened the door of the home where the drugs were sold, the document says.
The morning of March 9, Rochester police executed a warrant at Gayles' residence; the officers waited until several children living in the home were gone before they entered the house. When no one answered their knocks, the officers entered through the unlocked door.
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Inside, they discovered a small child in a closet that appeared to have been converted into a makeshift bedroom, the reports say; though it contained a bed and toys, it wasn't equipped with a smoke detector or any windows.
Officers attempted to comfort the "visibly upset" child while securing the residence, the court document says; Olmsted County Child Protection responded to the scene to assist.
A search of the residence yielded "a significant quantity of cocaine," the complaint says, including a plastic bag with a large amount of cocaine concealed in a sock in the master bedroom. The bag allegedly weighed 156.8 grams, or about 5.5 ounces.
Three small bags of cocaine were found in a nightstand in the master bedroom, the reports say, with a combined weight of 25.4 grams, or just less than 1 ounce.
If convicted, the aggravated charges carry a maximum sentence of 86 months to 40 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. The first-degree charges are punishable by 65 months to 40 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both.
The child endangerment counts carry a top penalty of a year in jail, a $3,000 fine or both.
