UPDATE: Wrenshall man charged in 2009 death

Bail was set at $50,000 today for a Wrenshall man accused of providing drugs to a Carlton man who died of an overdose.

Jason Karl Laubach, 28, was charged in Carlton County on Friday with one felony count of murder in the third degree in connection with the Sept. 1, 2009, death of Joe Henry DeRusha.

Because the judges sitting in Carlton County recused themselves, Laubach made his initial appearance Monday morning before District Judge David M. Johnson in Duluth. Laubach’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 24.

According to the criminal complaint:

A witness told authorities that she and DeRusha went to Laubach’s residence about 9 p.m. on Aug. 31. She stayed in the car while DeRusha went into the house to purchase narcotics. When he returned to the car he was hold a syringe containing a pinkish-reddish liquid. Back at his home DeRusha went into the bathroom with the syringe before going to bed.

The next morning DeRusha was unresponsive. His mother performed CPR on him until an ambulance arrived to transport him to Cloquet Memorial Hospital.

A medical examiner determined that DeRusha “died due to the result of a multiple drug overdose of methadone, hydrocodone and hydromorphone, all of which (were) present in Mr. Derusha’s body in lethal amounts.”

A search of DeRusha’s residence found a syringe in his bedroom. The syringe was “very similar” to syringes authorities found during a search of Laubach’s home. Methadone was found in some of the syringes and in a bottle authorities also found in Laubach’s home.

A search of Minnesota court records found 20 criminal, traffic or petty records against Laubach, including several drug-related counts.

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