4th person charged in cartel-related kidnapping in St. Paul
A fourth person has been charged in connection with a drug cartel-related kidnapping in St. Paul.
According to court records, 45-year-old Timothy Duane Ripley of Maple Grove is charged with one count each of kidnapping for a reward and kidnapping to commit great bodily harm.
Erilng Soren Holdahl, Kendra Sue Johnson and Richar Sanchez Mujica were each charged with two counts of felonious kidnapping on Jan. 10 in connection with the incident.
According to the criminal complaint, Mujica has had a warrant out for his arrest since August 2024, after he failed to appear in court for DWI charges. In December, a confidential source informed law enforcement that Mujica was involved with drug trafficking.
Police say they executed a search warrant to track Mujica's phone and put out a warrant for his arrest on Jan. 6.
On Jan. 7, law enforcement learned that a cooperating defendant working with a Mexican drug trafficking organization received information from their contact in Mexico that someone in the organization had killed a person nicknamed "Barney," who owed the organization money.
The defendant said to police that the drug trafficking organization had learned "Barney" had not been killed yet and was asking for help in torturing and killing him, charging documents say. The contact in Mexico then told the cooperating defendant to meet Mujica and to bring chains and weights and "to help take care of it."
Police say they saw Mujica get into a Chrysler Town and Country minivan, driven the morning of Jan. 7. Officers say they followed the vehicle to a location in Minneapolis where Mujica got out and manipulated something behind the driver's seat.
Then, Ripley got into the vehicle and Mujica drove to St. Paul, charging documents say. Officers then initiated a traffic stop at Phalen Boulevard near the Edgerton Street Bridge, where officers arrested Mujica. At the time, Ripley's involvement was allegedly unclear and he was booked on a drug charge.
Officers say they recovered Ripley's and Mujica's phones, and a stolen Walther 9 mm handgun behind the driver's seat of the van.
Police say Mujica told them that he was sent by the cartel to make a collection for a drug debt in the area of the 700 block of Payne Avenue. At this point in the interview process, police say Mujica gave officers his phone to look through which led them to locate a photo of a person who appeared to be chained or handcuffed.
The photo was then sent to a Mexican phone number via WhatsApp, police say.
At 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 7, police breached the door to a shop located on Payne Avenue and requested the occupants to come out. That's when police say "Barney," Holdahl and Johnson exited the building, the complaint states.
Police say "Barney" was shoeless and had difficulty walking, with a handcuff still attached to his right wrist. Officers also noted that his hand was very swollen and said that he appeared to be in a lot of pain. "Barney" was transported to a nearby hospital where it was later discovered that his bottom teeth were loose, likely sustained during the assault.
Holdahl and Johnson were arrested after exiting the building.
"Barney" told police that he had a pending drug case in Hennepin County, charging documents say. "Barney" then told police that a friend said he knew of a lawyer who could help him, sending him to the Payne Avenue address.
"Barney" said he was greeted by an older white woman who walked him down a hallway, where a man with a rifle or shotgun was waiting for him, charging documents say. Another man then hit "Barney" on the head with a heavy object while a third man repeatedly hit and kicked him, police say.
Ripley, according to court documents, matches the description of the man "Barney" said hit him with a heavy object.
"Barney" denied being an informant and stealing from the men who kidnapped and assaulted him, charging documents say.
Johnson is engaged to Holdahl, who owns the shop located at the Payne Avenue address where "Barney" was found handcuffed. She told police sometimes they spend the night at the shop, but that she had nothing to do with the kidnapping.
Ripley later gave his phone passcode to investigators in an attempt to get it back from authorities faster.
Police, after looking through his phone, said there was no internet activity for around four hours on the evening of Jan. 6, which "was very out of character and indicative of the phone being left at home to avoid law enforcement analysis and geolocations during criminal activity," court documents said.
Authorities said there was regular communication between Mujica and Ripley on Jan. 7.
One text exchange involved Mujica asking Ripley, "Bro did this guy had a gun when he came inn."
Ripley replied with, "Nope."
Officers executed a search warrant at a home in Maple Grove into which Ripley was allegedly moving. Police recovered an AR-style rifle matching what "Barney" described as having been used in the incident, a pair of ski goggles and a camouflage hoodie, according to the criminal complaint. There was allegedly no other skiing or snowboarding equipment present.
