A Hastings man faces a third-degree murder charge after police say he provided methamphetamine to a friend who died of acute meth toxicity in January.
Jeremy Paul Fredline, 42, was charged Thursday in Dakota County. A criminal complaint says Fredline gave the drug to Roger Eugene Thibeault, who was later found unresponsive in the driveway of Fredline's home.
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Hastings police responded to a residence on the 1900 block of Walnut Street on Jan. 2 after a report of an unresponsive man. Officers found Thibeault in the front passenger seat of a truck in the driveway. He was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Officers also found Fredline near the truck. He gave several statements to police over multiple dates, the documents say.
Fredline told officers that Thibeault did a line of methamphetamine while they were hanging out at Fredline's home on Jan. 2. About an hour later, Thibeault went outside to the truck. Fredline said Thibeault asked him to stay with him and the two held hands until Thibeault became unresponsive.
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Fredline allegedly told police the methamphetamine was his and that Thibeault had asked to use it. He said he tested all his drugs for fentanyl and showed officers various test kits he kept. He told investigators he felt responsible and acknowledged it could have been the drugs that killed his friend.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner determined the manner of death was accidental and the cause was acute methamphetamine toxicity. An analysis of Thibeault's blood revealed a methamphetamine level of 1,200 nanograms per milliliter.
Fredline is currently in custody. Third-degree murder in Minnesota carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. His first appearance on the charge is set for March 30.
