Grand Rapids Man Will Receive Settlement For Wrongful Arrest

St. Louis County approved an out-of-court-settlement of $20,000 for arresting and jailing the wrong man.

Ronald Gary Gustafson will also receive $22,500 from the city of Duluth and will get an additional $15,000 from Itasca County as a part of the negotiated settlement.

The city of Duluth issued a warrant for a Ronald Joel Gustafson for failing to appear in court on a misdemeanor charge of tampering with a motor vehicle. The wrong Gustafson was arrested on May 8, 2015 in Grand Rapids and then spent 5 days in 3 different jails before realizing he was mistaken for another man with the same name.

Gustafson suffered health issues after being released and alleged he was denied medications while in custody.