A guilty plea Thursday led to a jail sentence for the last person known to be with a college freshman whose body was found in a farm field in western Minnesota last fall after the two allegedly injected methamphetamine together.
Nickolas R. McArdell, 21, of Starbuck, Minn., admitted in Douglas County court to interference with a body, a gross misdemeanor. He was sentenced to a year in jail, with credit for the 138 days already served. He might be able to serve the rest of the time on work release.
County Attorney Chad Larson had said McArdell couldn't be prosecuted for murder in the Oct. 14 death of Laura Ann Schwendemann, 18, because evidence did not support any felony charge.
"He received the maximum sentence under the law," Larson said.
A farmer discovered the University of Minnesota, Morris, student's body nearly two weeks later as he drove his combine in a cornfield southeast of Alexandria, Minn.
Schwendemann's disappearance prompted an extensive search at an expense to the Sheriff's Office that Larson is hoping the defendant will be ordered to pay. "It's not over yet," Larson said. "We are seeking $20,000 in restitution for our attempt to locate her."
As for the sentence imposed, Larson said he wished he could have leveled a more serious charge that could have led to a stiffer punishment. "This has to be a felony crime for what he put Laura's family through," Larson said. McArdell's attorney, Reid Brandborg, was not available for comment.
The criminal complaint said that after McArdell left Schwendemann in the field, he dropped off her possessions at her parents' house the next morning and lied to her father, saying he last saw her get into someone else's car.
McArdell told much the same story to authorities before eventually acknowledging that Schwendemann overdosed and that he left her in a location he could not recall, the complaint continued. McArdell gave officers a urine sample, which tested positive for meth. He was arrested on charges of violating probation from a felony domestic assault conviction.
The Midwest medical examiner's office in Anoka revealed Dec. 1 that meth and THC, an active component in marijuana, were found in Schwendemann's body.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
