A Woodbury Man Receives 135-Month Prison Sentence for Overdose death of Savage Father

A Woodbury resident, Tino Andre Jones Jr., has been sentenced to 135 months in prison after pleading guilty to third-degree murder in connection with the tragic overdose death of a Savage father. The sentencing took place on December 22 following a plea agreement with Scott County. Scott County Attorney Ron Hocevar expressed satisfaction with the plea deal, stating that it held the drug dealer accountable for the consequences of his actions.

Hocevar commended the efforts of law enforcement in successfully tracing the drugs involved in the overdose back to Jones. The investigation involved extensive hours of surveillance, analysis of phone records, execution of search warrants, data interpretation, toxicology testing, and more.

The Savage Police Department, with assistance from the Dakota County Drug Task Force, played a crucial role in bringing Jones to justice. Savage Police Chief Rodney Seurer acknowledged that while the tragedy couldn’t be undone, the conviction for third-degree murder provided some measure of justice for the victim’s family.

The victim, Benjamin Barsness, was a 38-year-old father of three young children. According to a criminal complaint, the incident occurred on August 5, 2020, when someone discovered Barsness’ lifeless body in the master bedroom closet of his Savage residence. Barsness’ mother and stepfather immediately called 911 upon their return home from errands, but their attempts to save him were in vain.

An officer present at the scene found Barsness’ phone and discovered recent text messages exchanged with a phone number later identified as belonging to Jones. The content of these messages clearly indicated discussions related to narcotics, as stated in the complaint. Notably, a message sent from Barsness’ phone to the identified number just 80 minutes before his mother’s emergency call mentioned a stronger substance.

Forensic examination of Barsness’ phone by Agent Andrew Dahmes revealed additional text messages exchanged between Barsness and the same phone number between August 1 and 5. These messages discussed the purchase and delivery of pills to Barsness.

Furthermore, a text message sent from the identified number to Barsness at 2:43 p.m. on August 5 indicated that the sender would arrive in five minutes, as detailed in the complaint. Investigating the number, Dahmes discovered its association with Jones, with records showing its involvement in previous law enforcement investigations.

A search warrant executed at Jones’ residence led to the discovery of crushed pills on a bedroom dresser, along with Jones’ identification nearby, according to the complaint. Additionally, fentanyl was found during a subsequent search at the same location.

The Medical Examiner’s report concluded that Barsness’ death resulted from mixed toxicity caused by an overdose of ethanol, fentanyl, and oxycodone.