Judge Gary Lee declined to immediately reduce bond on Tuesday for an accused fentanyl dealer from Detroit, Mich. whom prosecutors allege has plans to return to Detroit to “rejuvenate his fentanyl business” and “settle a score with a rival drug dealer” and might have absconded from felony probation in Michigan.

Terez Malik Melhouse, 23, has been held in the Ward County Jail for over a month on a charge that he intended to deal 73 grams of fentanyl in the area in August.

In court on Tuesday, his defense attorney Kasey McGough said Melhouse had moved to Minot a short time before his arrest and has plans to live in the community and work on obtaining his GED.

Ward County Deputy State’s Attorney Todd Schwarz told Judge Gary Lee that new evidence has come to light that Melhouse has an ongoing dispute with a rival drug dealer in Detroit and a threat has allegedly been made to the effect that the rival will “end up like Theo Gray.”

According to Schwarz, Gray was a suspected drug dealer who returned to Detroit and was killed violently a few years ago.

Schwarz also said that Melhouse is apparently on felony probation in Michigan and absconded.

Lee told Schwarz to submit more information to the court about the allegations and he would make no decision as yet about whether to lower bond.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed with the court, the Ward County Narcotics Task Force had been conducting surveillance at a residence at 901 4th Avenue NW and saw signs of drug dealing activity. They obtained a search warrant for the apartment on Aug. 14 and, after knocking and announcing their presence, forced entry after they saw Melhouse ask who was there and peer out the window. Melhouse ran to the bathroom, locked the door, and flushed a bag of suspected fentanyl down the toilet. Co-defendant Paige Rebekah Holmes, 24, was in the shower at the time. Police placed both Melhouse and Holmes under arrest. Melhouse was searched and police found $5,048 in the pockets of his jeans. They found the bag of fentanyl in the clogged toilet. Other drug paraphernalia was found throughout the apartment, including scales with suspected drug residue, foil wrappers and plastic baggies with suspected drug residue and a needle filled with liquid. The total amount of fentanyl was about 73 grams. Fentanyl is considered 50 times more potent than heroin and can be lethal.

Holmes told police that she rents the house with her boyfriend but she does not know Melhouse.

Melhouse’s current bond is set at $30,000 cash or corporate surety or $10,000 cash. His lawyer asked for the bond to be reduced to $5,000 cash or corporate surety. Schwarz told the judge the bond is already set too low. Lee said he would take it under advisement pending more information being provided to him.

A preliminary hearing on the Class A felony possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, Class C felony possession of drug paraphermalia, Class C felony tampering with physical evidence, and Class A misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia charges is scheduled for Oct. 29 before Judge Todd Cresap.