Oakdale Murder: Heroin Dealer Sentenced

STILLWATER, MN — Washington County Attorney Pete Orput announced Friday that Rodney Williams, Jr., 27, of Minneapolis, was sentenced to 122 months in prison on third degree murder charges stemming from the Sept. 16, 2014 heroin overdose death of a 21-year-old Oakdale man.

According to the criminal complaint, Oakdale police were called to a home Sept. 16, 2014 on a report of an "unresponsive" man. Upon arrival they found the victim with no pulse.

Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at Lakeview Hospital.

The medical examiner ruled "heroin toxicity" as the cause of death. Police tracked the source of the heroin provided to Williams.

"The opiate crisis in this country has claimed another victim," Orput said in a statement. "We will not cease in our efforts to hold opiate and other drug dealers accountable for this scourge."

Image: Patch