two separate cases after entering a change of plea to delivery of fentanyl and cashing a stolen check.

Dalton Gunnar Johnson, 32, Minot, entered his changes of plea in North Central District Court on Friday, pleading guilty to one Class C felony count of unauthorized use of a personal identifying information-obtain credit in first case, and Class B felony delivery of fentanyl and Class A misdemeanor possession of methamphetamine in the second.

In the first case, the Ward County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report in January by the victim after a forged check cleared on their bank account, according to the affidavit of probable cause. The forged check for $886.74 was written to Johnson and was cashed at a Minot credit union on Dec. 19, 2023. The victim said the check was likely taken out of her vehicle after it was broken into a month prior. Johnson was later identified by investigators through security video from the credit union

District Judge Stacy Louser sentenced Johnson to serve five years with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, with all but 30 days suspended. Johnson was given credit for 44 days already served and ordered to complete two years of supervised probation. Restitution in was reserved pending a future hearing. A second count of Class A misdemeanor forgery was dismissed.

Johnson also was assessed $525 in court fines and fees.

In the second case, Johnson was arrested in October after an investigation by the Ward County Narcotics Task Force into a narcotics dealing operation at a southwest Minot hotel.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Task Force officers arrested an individual at the hotel who reported purchasing the narcotics from Johnson and identified the room in the hotel where the exchange occurred.

The Task Force made contact with Johnson through the door. Officers were forced to break the locking mechanism to enter the room, where they found Johnson flushing a plastic ziploc bag and metal device in the toilet before he was placed under arrest. A search of the room and Johnson’s person located $5,000, a variety of paraphernalia, digital scales, two fake pistols and about 11 grams of fentanyl.

Louser sentenced Johnson to serve 18 months of a 10 year sentence with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, with credit for 44 days already served. Johnson was ordered to complete three years of supervised probation upon release, along with a chemical dependency evaluation. Johnson was also assessed $775 in court fines and fees. Four other felony counts for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, tampering with physical evidence and preventing arrest were dismissed.