UPDATE: Court Records Provide New Details in Case of Marshall Man Seen in Viral Video
MARSHALL, MN — A video circulating online is raising allegations against the Marshall Police Department in Marshall, claiming officers planted drug evidence in a local apartment following a prior traffic stop.
The video, published by the channel We The People U, analyzes body camera footage involving a traffic stop with Dante Stidman. In the footage, Stidman refuses to exit his vehicle during a stop for a license plate light violation, arguing that officers lacked legal grounds to search his vehicle.
Later segments of the video show additional body camera footage of two officers entering an apartment complex, putting on gloves and handling a bag. The narrator alleges the footage shows officers preparing evidence that was later used to obtain a search warrant.
According to the video, police subsequently executed the warrant at Stidman’s apartment. The narrator disputes the officers’ claim that Stidman barricaded the door, noting that body camera footage appears to show him opening the door within about 90 seconds.
Police reportedly said they discovered approximately 11 pounds of a methamphetamine mixture in a toilet during the search. The narrator claims the drugs were planted as part of retaliation related to the earlier traffic stop.
The video also alleges that Stidman obtained the footage after the police department mistakenly sent him body camera files that were not intended for release.
The allegations presented in the video have not been independently verified, and no official response from the Marshall Police Department was included in the video.
Marshall Radio reached out to the Marshall Police Department. Chief of Police Jim Marshall said, “It’s an active court case that’s being heard in Lyon County District Court, so I really can’t talk about specifics of the court case. That would be inappropriate for me to do that.”
