DULUTH — A Hermantown woman is charged with third-degree murder for her role in the overdose death of a Moose Lake woman in August.
Dawn Marie Clemons, 39, was charged in Sixth Judicial District Court after Leah Michele Olsen, 38, was found dead Aug. 5.
According to the criminal complaint, Olsen’s roommate discovered her unresponsive on the floor of their home at about 6:30 p.m. Aug. 5. The roommate told the Moose Lake Police Department he had last seen Olsen alive at about 4 p.m. He said something was “off” with Olson and he suspected she had been using methamphetamine.
The roommate left at about 4 p.m. to go to a relative’s home and returned to find Olsen on the floor. He called 911 and began performing chest compressions until first responders arrived.
The MLPD retrieved Olsen’s cellphone from a family member who found it while gathering clothing for Olsen’s funeral.
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A Bureau of Criminal Apprehension analysis of the phone found a number of text messages between Olsen and Clemons in the early morning of Aug. 5 referencing a drug deal between the two. A search of Olsen’s home also found drug paraphernalia.
Police officers met with Clemons at the office of her probation officer Aug. 9. Clemons said Olsen contacted her and asked her to bring meth and syringes. Clemons said she obtained approximately 1 gram of meth, valued at about $60.
Clemons brought the drugs and two syringes to Olsen’s home, where the pair then used the meth intravenously. Olsen gave Clemons $28 and some clothes in exchange for the drugs, according to the complaint.
The final report from the medical examiner Aug. 21 determined meth toxicity as the cause of Olsen’s death.
If convicted, Clemons faces up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $40,000.
