The man who prosecutors said was tipped off by an Oglesby police dispatcher about an imminent drug raid is now facing three cocaine charges.

Richard J. Nickel, 24, of 928 1/2 First St., La Salle, was recently arrested by Minnesota authorities on a La Salle County warrant. Nickel is charged with selling cocaine three times in the past several weeks in La Salle County, according to prosecutors.

The dispatcher -- 22-year-old Kara M. Kamin formerly of Ottawa -- lost her job and is charged with leaking information that made its way to Nickel that his father's home in rural Oglesby was about to be raided Feb. 22 by the drug task force. The junior Nickel was the target of the raid. When the task force raided the home, they did not find the illegal drugs they expected.

Kamin was fired March 7 and arrested March 9. She is now free on bond with her next court date set for May 11. State's Attorney Brian Towne said Kamin and Nickel shared some of the same associates and Kamin passed the information to one of the associates, who in turn told Nickel

Nickel's father, 51-year-old Randy Nickel, claimed to local media after the Feb. 22 raid that drug task force officers left the home in disarray. Towne said the junior Nickel knew the task force was on the way and officers did not mess up the home, but rather the home was in that condition when they arrived.

A raid was also done at Nickel's apartment, which is in downtown La Salle.

Prosecutors said it is uncertain if Nickel will fight extradition back to La Salle County. Pipestone County is in southwestern Minnesota. The arrest warrant on the cocaine charges was filed March 23.

Nickel's case is assigned to Circuit Judge Cynthia Raccuglia. The most serious charge can be punished by as long as 15 years in prison, while the other two charges can each be punished by as long as seven years.

Nickel has convictions in La Salle County for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.