MANKATO — A woman received a stayed prison sentence related to drug sales linked to nonfatal overdoses in Mankato in 2023.
Briana Marilyn Knewtson, 32, of Garden City, was convicted on a first-degree drug sales charge Monday in Blue Earth County District Court. Five other charges against her were dismissed.
The case against Knewtson stemmed from an investigation into overdoses on Oct. 1 at 414 S. Front St., the address for Rounder’s Sports Bar & Grill, according to public records. One of the victims reportedly told police they thought drugs they bought from “Jake” had been tainted by another substance.
Investigators alleged Jacob Dean Daninger, 28, and Knewtson were involved in supplying drugs to the victims. The two shared a residence at the time, where Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force agents reported finding cocaine in plain sight after using a search warrant on the property.
Agents also reported finding pills believed to contain fentanyl, $28,513 in cash and other items consistent with drug sales.
Knewtson is set to serve five years on supervised probation in lieu of a 65-month prison sentence. She previously served 156 days in jail.
The sentence is a downward dispositional departure, meaning it’s below the guidelines associated with her charge. One condition of her probation is having no contact with Daninger.
Daninger’s next court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 31.