PIPESTONE -- A man arrested in late January on five felony controlled substance charges involving methamphetamine has now been charged with witness tampering after allegedly threatening a woman.
Aaron Richard Hein, 25, of Jasper, was arrested and charged last week with aggravated first-degree witness tampering and first-degree witness tampering -- felonies that carry a combined maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
The complaint states Hein first called a woman from jail and blamed her for his arrest and the arrest of several others. The woman contacted the Pipestone County Sheriff's Office and was advised to apply for a harassment order and contact the office if he called her again.
Hein met the $50,000 bond and was released from jail Feb. 29. On March 4, he allegedly went to the woman's house, walking in uninvited.
The woman said Hein told her he had people who would take care of her, that he threatened to break into her home and destroy things while she was not there and to have her child taken away from her. Hein allegedly told her he would return later that evening when she got off work.
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The woman said some friends of Hein's had been driving by the house often, and she felt threatened. She believed they were doing this at Hein's request.
The following day, Hein went to the law enforcement center to complete paperwork and was arrested. He was brought to the Pipestone County Jail, where he is being held on an additional $60,000 bond.
Hein was arrested and charged with controlled substance crimes in late January after an investigation into pseudoephedrine purchases were brought to the attention of law enforcement. Authorities learned Hein had purchased a surveillance camera and inquired at a business about sulfuric acid prices earlier that month. A cooperating individual then came forward to say Hein had been manufacturing meth in the basement when that individual was at the residence.
Authorities executed a search warrant on Hein's residence Jan. 23. When they entered, Hein ran to a bathroom and tried to hide something in a vent. During the search, many items used for the manufacture of meth were located, as were several grams of meth.
