Man faces murder charge in Le Sueur County
Oct. 26—LE CENTER — A Le Center man is accused of supplying the drugs that caused a woman's fatal overdose in April.
Dustin Darrell Ely, 47, of Le Center, was charged with third-degree murder Wednesday in Le Sueur County District Court. The charge is defined as causing a death without intent by directly or indirectly supplying an illegal substance.
The case is related to the death of Jeanne Marie Bold, 61, of Le Center, in April due to what an autopsy determined to be from the "toxic effects of methamphetamine and benzodiazepines," according to a criminal complaint.
The complaint states an officer with the Le Center Police Department responded to a residence April 20 and found Bold unresponsive and not breathing on a porch. The officer performed CPR until an ambulance arrived and brought Bold to New Prague's hospital.
Ely was outside the residence and told the officer that Bold was having difficulty breathing and "went down" just before the officer arrived.
A report from April 21 reportedly showed a Le Center officer spoke with Bold's daughter and learned that Bold was in an induced coma and the prognosis didn't look good. The daughter reported she knew Bold acquired drugs from Ely and speculated her mother might've overdosed.
Bold died April 30, according to the complaint.
On May 11 the daughter met with investigators and reported Ely saying that Bold and he had used methamphetamine at his place before the medical emergency. The daughter said after multiple requests she got Bold's cellphone back from Ely, but the SIM card had been removed and she suspected he was trying to delete texts.
Recovered text message records from April 20 reportedly showed Bold asking Ely if he had anything, to which he responded he did, followed by her saying she was coming over.
At Ely's place, she reportedly was having trouble breathing and went outside to get air. Ely initially told Bold's daughter that it was an asthma attack during a phone call to her, and later told her he called 911 when he saw her getting weak and struggling with her balance.
Le Sueur County Sheriff's Office and Le Center police investigators secured search warrants and went to Ely's residence on Tuesday. In Ely's dresser or on the nightstand they reported finding clonazepam pills — a type of benzodiazepine — psilocybin mushrooms, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Law enforcement officers arrested Ely at the scene and seized his phone.
Follow Brian Arola @BrianArola
Follow Brian Arola @BrianArola
