Star Tribune
Gilbert woman charged with murder after man ODs; she then wrote about it in a private Facebook message
A Gilbert, Minn., woman has been charged with third-degree murder after she allegedly gave drugs to a 25-year-old Mountain Iron man who died later from the effects of fentanyl and ethanol last summer.
Ashley Rose Cook, 20, whom investigators had been unable to find, was arrested earlier this week and arraigned in St. Louis County court in Hibbing on Tuesday. Her bail has been set at $500,000 and her next court appearance is Thursday. She is in the St. Louis County jail.
According to the criminal complaint, Cook wrote about her role in the man’s death in a private Facebook message sent on July 31.
“I gave [the victim a] perc 30 and he died,” she said. “Perc” is another name for oxycodone, according to DEA.gov.
Investigators also found a Facebook exchange between Cook and the victim indicating that she was looking for people who wanted to buy opioids.
A witness said that she and the victim met with Cook at a gas station in Gilbert. He got out of the car to talk to Cook, while the witness went to the bathroom to look for a phone she had left there earlier. The witness, her brother and the victim went home, where they planned to have a bonfire. The latter went to the bathroom but didn’t return. He was found dead alongside a piece of aluminum foil with burnt residue. An autopsy determined that he had died from the toxic effects of fentanyl and ethanol.
According to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department, Cook’s arrest is the result of a nearly nine-month investigation by the Lake Superior Violent Offenders Task Force to “hold those accountable who profit off the deadly sale of controlled substances, particularly fentanyl.”
Star Tribune
Investigators searching for additional victims as Hastings man faces child porn charges
A 27-year-old Hastings man has been accused in federal court of producing child pornography over a roughly two-year span, and investigators are trying to identify additional potential victims.
Hunter James Geidlwas charged with four counts of either production or possession of child pornography in federal court Dec. 10. He has pleaded not guilty.
According to the charges, Geidl employed and used minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for producing explicit videos from July 2022 to March 2024. He is also accused of possessing a video file of pornographic material involving a minor in 2022.
Geidl made his initial appearance in court Friday and remains in custody, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger.
Investigators believe other minors may have been victimized and ask that if anyone believes their child has been in contact with Geidl to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.
“She was really into the Replacements. So for her to have her dad suddenly playing in the band, it would be like my dad joining the Rolling Stones.”
Slim Dunlap, right, with Paul Westerberg during a 1987 Replacements concert at First Avenue in Minneapolis. (Brian Peterson, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Dunlap played guitar on the final two Replacements studio albums, also including 1991’s “All Shook Down.” Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson later credited him for sparking a new spirit in the band and extending their run during their waning years.
After the break-up in 1991, Dunlap toured with Dan Baird of the Georgia Satellites, who led the first fundraising campaign on Dunlap’s behalf in the days after his stroke.
Finally, in 1993, Dunlap got his own chance to shine as a singer/songwriter.
He channeled his love for Hank Williams, Chuck Berry and vintage blues alongside the Replacements’ Stones and Faces influences on his debut album, “The Old New Me,” issued by former ‘Mats manager and Twin/Tone Records co-founder Peter Jesperson on the Medium Cool record label. A second solo album came three years later, “Times Like This,” similarly earning a cult-loved status — especially among fellow musicians.
Springsteen publicly raved about those records numerous times, including in a 2014 interview with NPR’s Ann Powers: “I hope I get a chance to cut one of his songs,” said the Boss. “Check out the two Slim Dunlap records, because they’re just beautiful rock ‘n’ roll records. I found them to be deeply touching and emotional.”
A 59-year-old utility worker died Tuesday after falling from the bucket of a boom truck at a job site north of Big Lake, according to Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Ben Zawacki.
Thomas L. Stewart of Dayton fell about six to eight feet and suffered significant head injuries while working in the ditch on the north side of 241st Avenue NW, just west of 185th Street in Orrock Township.
First responders performed life-saving efforts at the scene before Stewart was transported to St. Cloud Hospital, where he was pronounced dead late Tuesday.
Stewart worked for the Minnesota-based utility company Connexus Energy. In a response to a Facebook post about the incident, a representative from Connexus thanked people for their thoughts and prayers, and clarified the utility worker was not electrocuted in the incident.
“We’re heartbroken over the passing of our friend and colleague but we are waiting for family and friends to be notified so we cannot share additional information,” Stacy Downs, communications specialist at Connexus, said Wednesday.
