Minnesota drops kidnapping charges against man, clearing way for federal case
State charges against a man in connection with a drug cartel-related kidnapping in St. Paul have been dropped, clearing the way for a federal case against him to proceed.
The criminal complaint against 45-year-old Timothy Duane Ripley of Maple Grove was dropped, according to a court document filed by Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Assistant Attorney Jessica Plotz on Friday. The state had charged Ripley in February with one count each of kidnapping for a reward and kidnapping to commit great bodily harm.
"In the interest of justice, because defendant has been federally indicted on charges arising from this incident and has remained in federal custody since the indictment," the document said regarding the reasoning for dropping the charges.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota, Ripley was federally indicted in March with one count each of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to kidnap in connection with a drug trafficking and kidnapping conspiracy.
Citing an indictment, the attorney's office said Ripley and 10 others associated with a drug trafficking organization conspired, from July 2023 through January 2025, to own methamphetamine and distribute it.
The leaders of the organization, according to the attorney's office, arranged for large amounts of the drug to be delivered by car and by mail from Mexico to the Twin Cities. Members of the group would then break the methamphetamine into smaller, distributable amounts and sell it to people in the region.
In January 2025, someone, later identified by police as a man, owed "a substantial amount of money" to a leader of the organization, the attorney's office says. Ripley and three others are accused of luring the man to a location in St. Paul and kidnapping and beating him.
The man was taken to the hospital for evaluation.
The three others charged by the state in connection with the incident — Erilng Soren Holdahl, Kendra Sue Johnson and Richar Sanchez Mujica — were also federally charged in March. A federal grand jury indicted all three with conspiracy to distribute meth and conspiracy to kidnap. Mujica was also charged with one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to Friday's filing, the state reserves the right to re-file charges against Ripley.
Note: The above video first aired on Jan. 9, 2025.
