A Twin Cities lawyer who is the brother of Duluth Police Chief Gordon Ramsay has admitted possessing cocaine during a trial at the Winona County Courthouse in which he was representing an accused murderer.
Charles Ramsay, 43, who grew up in Duluth, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Winona, Minn., to a third-degree controlled substance crime of possessing 3 or more grams of cocaine. Reached by phone at his Roseville, Minn., law office Thursday, Ramsay said he was advised by his attorneys not to comment.
Those attorneys, Peter Wold and Andrew Birrell, both of Minneapolis, could not be reached for comment.
The case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy Dakota County Attorney Phillip Prokopowicz, whose office was appointed to the case because Ramsay represented clients with cases in Winona County. Prokopowicz said that, potentially, assistant Winona County attorneys could have been called to testify against Ramsay at trial.
Prokopowicz said that as part of the plea agreement -- which rendered moot a scheduled Sept. 13 trial -- the prosecution would cap any jail time at 30 days. Ramsay will be able to argue for a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor conviction at the time of his Sept. 20 sentencing before Judge Jeffrey Thompson.
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Prokopowicz said the plea agreement was similar to what anyone in the same situation would receive.
"The 5 grams (of cocaine) he possessed were strictly for personal use,'' Prokopowicz said. "There was no allegation of dealing or anything of that nature. He indicated to the court that he has successfully completed substance abuse counseling and treatment."
Ramsay has a pending court case in an attempt to get back his 2003 Lexus, which was forfeited as part of the drug case.
According to the criminal complaint, a Winona police investigator who was testifying in the murder trial in January 2009 saw Ramsay leave a courthouse bathroom during a court recess. The investigator said he didn't hear the sound of a toilet flushing and that Ramsay was sniffing profusely and using his right thumb and index finger to pinch his nose repeatedly. He also saw the attorney wipe underneath his nose several times.
A Winona police evidence technician spotted a trace amount of a white powdery substance on a table and some speckles of the substance on the floor beneath a conference room table where Ramsay had been sitting. The white substance was collected and tested positive for cocaine.
After that day's court proceedings were over, an investigator placed Ramsay under arrest. A plastic straw about 4 inches long containing a white residue was found in the attorney's right front pocket, the complaint alleged.
The investigator obtained a search warrant and searched Ramsay's bags and coat. Two clumps of a white substance and a white powdery substance were found in an orange plastic Mentos gum container, also testing positive for cocaine. The substance also was found in a contact lens case.
Gordon Ramsay was asked to comment on his older brother's crime.
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"My brother immediately went into treatment after the incident and has been sober for about a year and a half,'' the police chief said. "I am very proud of him and we are working on rebuilding our relationship."
Charles Ramsay runs his own practice, specializing in criminal defense. In a 2007 Duluth trial, he defended a retired Duluth police officer who had been accused of financially exploiting his vulnerable mother. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and the case resulted in a mistrial.
Ramsay has been named a Super Lawyer by Super Lawyer magazine at least six years.
