Two sisters from Grand Forks have been charged with giving a man a fentanyl patch that caused his death.
Holly Dawn Soeby, 36, and Kelly Jo Nelsrud, 40, appeared Friday in Grand Forks District Court on one Class B felony charge each of delivery of fentanyl. Both were arrested this week after investigators said they sold a fentanyl patch to 27-year-old Max Johnson of Walhalla, N.D. He died of an overdose Wednesday in a residence on Wydown Street in Grand Forks, police said.
Investigators found the patch with a burnt corner in Johnson's clothing, according to charging documents. After learning where Johnson may have purchased the patch, police interviewed Soeby, who admitted to selling the patch to the victim, according to court documents.
Soeby said she got the patch from her sister, Nelsrud. Nelsrud denied the allegations, claiming her sister stole the patch from her.
Police searched Nelsrud's home at 1808 N. Fourth St. and found "numerous ... fentanyl patches" in her garage and residence, according to charging documents.
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Soeby said she warned Johnson to be careful with the patch because he had a girlfriend and children, adding she was "just trying to make some money because she wasn't working," according to court documents.
This is the second fentanyl overdose death connected to a criminal case that has been reported in a month. Anthony John Tozer, 32, was charged Dec. 20 with the same crime as Soeby and Nelsrud after police said he supplied fentanyl-laced drugs to Faith Burns, a 20-year-old Grand Forks woman who was found dead in an apartment at 901 University Ave. Police said she died of an overdose from the drugs that were connected to Tozer.
It's unclear whether the drugs that reportedly killed Burns are related to the ones connected to Johnson's death.
Tozer's next court appearance is April 5. He pleaded not guilty in his case.
A Class B felony carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
This is Nelsrud's first criminal case in North Dakota. Soeby has faced two drug-related cases in North Dakota. She was on probation after pleading guilty in August in Grand Forks District Court to possession of a controlled substance, a Class C felony, and possessing heroin, a Class A misdemeanor.
