June 9 – BEMIDJI – A Cass Lake man has been convicted of third degree murder in the drug-related death of a woman in January 2022.
According to a statement from Beltrami County District Attorney David Hanson, after the conclusion of a four-day trial on Thursday, June 8, a Beltrami County jury found Clyde Lee Reyes, Jr. of Cass Lake guilty of a single count of third degree murder. to sell, give and/or distribute a controlled substance — schedules I and II.
According to court documents, on January 2, 2022, members of the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office and Paul Bunyan’s Drug Task Force responded to a call to investigate an unresponsive woman as a possible victim of a drug overdose.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and an autopsy concluded the cause of death was an overdose of fentanyl. After a thorough investigation, law enforcement learned that Reyes had sold fentanyl to the victim earlier in the day, the documents show.
Hanson expressed his condolences to the victim’s family, adding that this was the second third-degree murder conviction for selling fentanyl in recent months.
“(I am) proud of the hard work of local law enforcement to pursue narcotics distributors,” Hanson said in the statement. “(I am) concerned about the amount of fentanyl that is wreaking havoc in Beltrami County, and (my) office will continue to aggressively pursue drug traffickers for the harm they are causing our community.”
A sentencing hearing will be held at 9 a.m. on July 27 at the Beltrami County Courthouse.
“(I) want to thank all of the hardworking members of the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office and the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force who investigated this crime,” Hanson said. “(I) would also like to thank all of the staff at the Beltrami County District Attorney’s Office who devoted many hours to this case, especially Chief Assistant County District Attorney David Frank, Deputy County District Attorney Ashley Nelson, legal assistant Ashlee Zetah and victim services. Coordinator Riley Irish.”