Crime & Safety

Heroin Overdose in Apple Valley Leads to Criminal Charges

Police say Aspen N. Miller overdosed on heroin last July in Apple Valley

A Wisconsin woman who allegedly overdosed on heroin in Apple Valley and started "gasping for air" is now facing criminal charges.

Aspen N. Miller, 20, is charged with one felony count of possession of a controlled substance, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Dakota County Attorney's Office. If convicted, she could face a maximum of five years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

Police were called to a home on Redwood Drive in July 2012, according to the complaint. While en route, emergency responders learned that a woman, the victim of a heroin overdose, had stopped breathing. A short time later, dispatch informed responders that she was "gasping for air."

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Police arrived at the residence and found Miller sitting on the living room floor, eyes open but unresponsive. Another woman was sitting next to her crying, according to the complaint.

Officers located several syringes, rubber tourniquets, tweezers, cotton balls and three small packages containing a brownish powdered substance—later identified as heroin—in Miller's purse. Police also found a bottle of Naloxone HCI, a drug often used to counter the effects of heroin, in the bag, according to the complaint.

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Police spoke with the second woman, who told officers she met Miller in an addiction recovery program. The woman told police that Miller purchased two grams of heroin the previous day, and had been using it at the home of a family member. Around noon on July 31, Miller began to act strangely, then became unresponsive, the witness said.

The woman told police she tried to inject Miller with Naloxone, but couldn't get it into her veins.

All total, police found .7 grams of heroin at the home.


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