A 41-year-old Mankato man is facing five criminal charges after police say they found methamphetamine within reach of a 1-year-old child at his home, along with a garage full of stolen tools, copper wiring, and even city street signs. Travis John Olson was charged in Blue Earth County District Court this week following a search of his residence, garage, and vehicle.
According to MN Crime, charges were filed on September 23, 2026, and include third-degree possession of methamphetamine in a school, park, or public housing zone, fifth-degree drug possession, causing or permitting a child to be exposed to methamphetamine, misdemeanor theft, and misdemeanor receiving stolen property. Under Minnesota Statute § 152.023, possessing any amount of methamphetamine within a designated school zone, park zone, or public housing zone is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $250,000, regardless of the drug's weight — which is what elevated Olson's possession charge given his home's location. Minnesota's controlled-substance statutes are organized into five degrees under sections 152.021 through 152.025, with first-degree possession or sale carrying up to 30 years in prison; fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin are classified as Schedule I or II substances under that framework, per the seed report.
Search Warrant Turns Up Drugs Within a Child's Reach
Police obtained a search warrant for Olson's residence, garage, and vehicle, executing it at about 1:49 p.m. on September 21, according to the report. Officers found Olson and a 1-year-old child together in the living room, and on the kitchen table they discovered a baggie containing a crystal-like substance that later tested positive for methamphetamine, weighing 2.07 grams. The table was reportedly low enough for a small child to access.
Investigators also found more methamphetamine in the garage, along with Percocet, Vyvanse, psilocybin mushrooms, Adderall, Tylenol with codeine, Klonopin, and Xanax, the outlet's report states. A glass pipe recovered from the kitchen also tested positive for methamphetamine. Under Minnesota Statute § 152.137, knowingly causing or permitting a child under 18 to inhale, be exposed to, have contact with, or ingest methamphetamine or its paraphernalia is codified as a felony offense — the statute underlying the child exposure charge Olson now faces.
Olson admitted that the methamphetamine found on the kitchen table and in the garage was his, and said the glass pipe was also his, the report says. Another adult present at the residence told police the methamphetamine belonged to Olson and said drugs were usually kept in the garage rather than inside the house. That same adult reported that two other children live at the residence; both were reportedly at school during the search.
Stolen Lumber, Rocks, and City Street Signs
The case began with a series of theft reports. A witness at a Blue Earth County business reported that rock and lumber had been stolen from the property and identified Olson as the suspect, according to the complaint cited in the report. The business had reportedly asked police to patrol its property after seeing Olson casing it beforehand. Investigators say Olson stole lumber at 3:39 a.m. on September 20 and landscaping rocks at 4:54 a.m. on September 14, with the stolen property including several large rocks and 11 4x4 posts.
During the search of Olson's garage, police also found items reported stolen from a second business, including a concrete saw, a generator, power tools, and copper wiring, per the same account. Officers additionally recovered four City of Mankato street signs and two 4x4 posts matching the earlier stolen-property description in the backyard. Olson admitted to taking lumber from the business but said someone else had dropped off the landscaping rocks, the report notes.
A Pattern of Legal Trouble Across County Lines
Olson's September arrest adds to a string of legal troubles for him in the greater Mankato area. He already had a prior conviction under Minnesota's controlled-substance law, according to the seed report. In neighboring Nicollet County, he was charged on January 15, 2026, with three felony counts of theft and one gross misdemeanor count of theft for allegedly using a truck with a distinctive rack to steal more than $5,000 in specialized business equipment in November 2025, according to Lower MN River Valley Watch.
He was also charged in Nicollet County in June 2026 after allegedly accelerating his vehicle twice toward a person outside a business in North Mankato during a dispute over stored items, the outlet reported separately. Mankato spans both Blue Earth and Nicollet counties, and North Mankato sits directly across the Minnesota River from Mankato, placing both sets of charges within the same immediate region.
Part of a Wider Drug Enforcement Pattern
Olson's arrest comes as Blue Earth County District Court filed multiple separate felony drug possession complaints during the week of September 21, including fifth-degree controlled substance charges against local residents Dylan James Buhr and Coltyn Jay Hubbard, according to MN Crime. In August, 30-year-old Mankato resident Jaime Lynn Fiacco was re-arrested on methamphetamine possession charges while out on pre-trial release for a pending felony assault charge, as Hoodline previously reported.
State and local health data compiled in 2026 shows Blue Earth County recorded 16 drug overdose deaths in 2021, with psychostimulants like methamphetamine and opioids as leading causes, while local pharmacies dispensed 24,988 opioid prescriptions that year, according to Health Street. The substances found in Olson's garage included methamphetamine and prescription medications.
Olson faces a fifth-degree drug-possession charge. Separately, under Minnesota Statute § 609.378, intentionally or recklessly placing a child in a situation likely to substantially harm their physical or mental health carries penalties of up to one year in prison and a $3,000 fine, increasing to five years and a $10,000 fine if substantial harm occurs.
