Eagan Man, Woman Charged with Heroin Possession

An Eagan couple has been charged with heroin possession after police say they found them barely conscious in their apartment in July.

Ronald Cheatham, 57, and Vanetha Kay Marshall, 46, face a felony count of fifth-degree drug possession, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. They are also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to the criminal complaints, Eagan police were called to an apartment building on Rahn Road on July 8 when the apartment complex manager reported two unresponsive people in one of the units.

Management had received a complaint about water leaking through the ceiling of the apartment below the unit in which Cheatham and Marshall were found.

The manager checked and found the couple unresponsive and the bathtub faucet on and overflowing, according to the complaints.

When police arrived, both Cheatham and Marshall were “partially awake, but they appeared to be high on an unknown drug,” the complaints say.

Police found used, uncapped needles on the bathroom sink and on the bed, with a capped needle on top of a dresser.

Cheatham and Marshall were taken to a hospital. Subsequent tests on the needles indicated that they had been used to inject heroin.