LE CENTER — A Gaylord man faces a murder charge for his alleged role in a woman’s fatal overdose from fentanyl in January.
Rogelio Lara Jr., 22, was charged with third-degree murder Wednesday in Le Sueur County District Court.
A criminal complaint accuses Lara Jr. of selling fentanyl to Jada Lynn Schwarzrock, 18, before her overdose death on Jan. 8 in Montgomery.
Schwarzrock’s boyfriend reportedly found her unresponsive at her Montgomery apartment in the afternoon. He told police she was at his Minneapolis residence the prior evening, but the two had an argument and she went home, texting him “night” at about 1:27 a.m.
After he couldn’t reach her by phone the following day, he said he grew worried and drove to her apartment to check on her. He suspected she went to buy drugs at some point because she had turned her location off on her phone.
Police noted Schwarzrock’s vehicle was covered with snow. Inside her apartment they reported finding half of a Mbox 30 pill, which are known to contain fentanyl, in her apartment. A plastic straw in the residence field tested positive for fentanyl.
Police used search warrants to review Cash app transactions between Schwarzrock and a “Reggie,” who they say is Lara Jr. She made frequency payments to Lara Jr. leading up to her overdose, including sending him $20 at 2:36 a.m. on Jan. 8.
Investigators went to Lara Jr.’s residence in Gaylord on Feb. 19, using a search warrant to find 2.5 pills believed to be Mbox 30s in his room. Lara Jr. denied selling Mbox 30s, the complaint states, and denied knowing Schwarzrock.
Later, however, he reportedly admitted to using Mbox 30s. He described a system in which people would pool money together, give it to him, then he’d buy pills from a Minneapolis dealer.
Schwarzrock was one of the people in the pill-buying pool, according to the complaint. Lara Jr. knew her from being a few years ahead of her at an area high school.
He couldn’t recall when the last transaction between the two was, but thought it was late at night. The complaint states he thought she arrived at his residence around 2-3 a.m., at which point he gave her two or three pills.
Lara Jr. thought a male was with her at the time, although he never sold to or talked to the man and couldn’t recall what he looked like.
A release from the Cannon River Drug & Violent Offender Task Force states Lara Jr. is currently in custody. Commander Scott O’Brien called fentanyl a major problem in the area, especially for youth.
“The availability and use of these dangerous drugs in our school aged children is concerning,” he stated. “Just one pill can result in instant death for our youth and others that are addicted to this dangerous drug. The Task Force will continue its efforts to hold fentanyl dealers accountable while also urging those struggling with addiction to seek additional resources for help.”