A Rochester police officer accused of tipping off drug dealers about narcotics investigations and taking money to help pick up and deliver drugs made her first court appearance Thursday.
Vanessa Nicole Mason, 31, is charged with three felony and two gross misdemeanor counts. The complaint was filed in mid-April. Mason has been on administrative leave since April 7.
Olmsted District Judge Joseph Chase ordered that Mason be released on her own recognizance. Chase ordered Mason not to initiate contact with the people in the complaint and to terminate the conversation if one of them phones her.
Her next hearing is July 7. Some evidence must still be analyzed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
After the complaint was filed, her attorney, Fred Bruno of Minneapolis, called the case "a piece of garbage that's based on the uncorroborated word of criminals looking for favors." He said Mason denies the allegations.
Mason has been a patrol officer in Rochester for 41/2 years.
The case is being prosecuted by Rice County Attorney Paul Beaumaster to avoid any conflict of interest.
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