Charges: Teens drove suspects to Minneapolis to obtain pills that caused overdose
Damarcus Deontay Holloway, 26, Patrick Oterigho Isiakpere, Jr, 31, and Tia Renee Schwichtenberg, 35, all from Mankato, face felony 2nd-degree drug sale charges. Isiakpere and Schwichtenberg also face felony 3rd-degree possession charges.
Mankato police responded to three separate overdose incidents involving juveniles on Tuesday. Narcan was administered, and two of the teenagers were hospitalized. An update provided by the Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force on Wednesday said one of the teens remained hospitalized in critical condition, and Holloway, Isiakpere, and Schwichtenberg had been arrested.
One of the juveniles told investigators that he and another person had met up with Isiakpere and Holloway on Monday. The four traveled to the Twin Cities in two separate cars to pick up pills, according to a criminal complaint. The boy said he drove with Holloway, who had a handgun in the car. The group stopped at a home in Minneapolis, where Isiakpere allegedly obtained 300 fentanyl-laced pills. The complaint says Isiakpere took the firearm for the return trip to Mankato, and the juveniles were paid with fuel and five pills each.
The boy told police he had smoked the pills that caused his overdose, and he could tell they were stronger than what he had used in the past.
A search warrant was performed on the home Isiakpere shares with Schwichtenberg, his girlfriend. Police saw the couple, along with Holloway leave the residence carrying a camo backpack, which they placed in the backseat of an SUV, according to the complaint.
Police say Schwichtenberg’s toddler child was sitting in the backseat next to the backpack, which contained a 9mm handgun with 17 live rounds of ammunition, a small-caliber handgun with live rounds in a magazine, and 258 Mbox30 pills suspected of containing fentanyl. The pills were “significantly more than a user amount,” according to the complaint. The backpack also contained children’s homework and school paperwork.
Police say another bag inside the car contained 119 Mbox 30 pills, nearly three grams of cocaine, and a gram of crack cocaine. Schwichtenberg’s pay stubs were also located in that bag, according to the charging document.
The complaint says Isiakpere was also carrying $1,122 in cash.
Police say both Isiakpere and Holloway are prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition for life, due to prior violent convictions.
Isiakpere has ten prior felony convictions, including simple robbery, stalking, and 2nd-degree burglary. He also has a pending case for being a felon in possession of a firearm and 3rd-degree drugs. He recently posted $200,000 bail in that matter. His charges in Tuesday’s overdose case include being a felon in possession of a firearm, a felony, and negligent storage of a loaded firearm accessible to a child, a gross misdemeanor. Prosecutors have recommended Isiakpere’s bail be set at $1,000,000 without conditions or $750,000 with conditions
Holloway was sentenced just last week on felony charges of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, and gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation. He was sentenced to time served in jail. A one-year prison sentence was stayed for two years if he met the conditions of his probation. Police say he also has convictions for possession of a firearm after a crime of violence and 5th-degree drugs. He again faces a charge of firearm possession after a violent crime, a felony. Prosecutors have recommended his bail be set at $500,000.
Schwichtenberg was also charged with gross misdemeanor child endangerment. Prosecutors recommend her bail be set at $80,000.
