A Duluth shoplifting call led police to seize more than 10 grams of fentanyl from a man who tried to run from officers, according to the complaint.
Andrew Casey Meshigaud, 40, is charged in Saint Louis County District Court with two counts of third-degree drug possession, obstructing legal process, fleeing a peace officer on foot and theft. The charges were filed October 12.
According to the complaint, Duluth police responded to a report of shoplifting at a SuperOne store in Duluth at about 10:12 a.m. on October 9. A loss prevention specialist told officers that two adult males were seen on surveillance video ordering food from the deli, eating it in the store and then paying for some merchandise but not for the deli food.
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The complaint says one of the suspects was identified as Andrew Casey Meshigaud. When an officer tried to get the attention of both suspects, Meshigaud attempted to run out of the store into the parking lot. The loss prevention specialist was able to stop and restrain Meshigaud and both the officer and the specialist struggled with him as he physically resisted and pulled away from their attempts to detain him.
Prosecutors say Meshigaud was eventually brought to the ground, handcuffed and taken into custody. A search of his person turned up two bindles of a fine white powder in the front pocket of his hoodie. The complaint states the contents tested positive for fentanyl, weighing 9.4 grams and 0.79 grams.
The complaint notes that Meshigaud was in possession of fentanyl within 250 feet of the Rose Garden, a Duluth city park that qualifies as a park zone under state law.
Meshigaud is charged with third-degree drug possession for allegedly possessing 5 grams or more of fentanyl, a separate third-degree count for possessing fentanyl in a park zone, obstructing legal process for resisting officers, fleeing a peace officer by a means other than a motor vehicle for attempting to run from police and theft for taking merchandise without paying.
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Jurisdictional Context
Saint Louis County is Minnesota’s largest county by area, stretching from Duluth to the Canadian border. The Saint Louis County Attorney’s Office prosecutes felonies through the Sixth Judicial District; cases are heard at courthouses in Duluth, Hibbing and Virginia.
