Citing similar federal charges, state dismisses case against former Stillwater corrections officer
Faith Rose Gratz (Washington County Sheriff's Office)
Court records show prosecutors have dismissed two drug-related charges against a former Stillwater corrections officer.
As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, 24-year-old Faith Gratz had been charged with first-degree drug sale and first-degree drug possession in Washington County.
According to the court website, prosecutors filed to dismiss the charges Tuesday, citing an indictment by a grand jury in June. A copy of the document filed by prosecutors can be found at the bottom of this article.
RELATED: Stillwater corrections officer, inmate indicted for meth smuggling operation
Last month, Gratz was indicted on charges of conspiracy to distribute meth and possession of meth with intent to distribute.
In addition, an inmate at the Oak Park Heights Correctional Facility, Axel Kramer, was indicted on a charge of conspiracy to distribute meth.
A spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) issued the following statement regarding the charges filed against Gratz to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on behalf of the agency:
“The allegations are extremely troubling and are not indicative of the incredible work by Minnesota DOC staff to make our communities a safer place to live. Smuggling drugs into a correctional facility presents a serious risk to staff and the incarcerated population.”
Minnesota Department of Corrections
Online court records show a jury trial for the federal case was scheduled for Aug. 22, but a motion for continuance was filed on July 11.