Mpls. firefighter charged with felony drug possession

The Hennepin County Attorney's office today filed a felony drug possession charge against a Minneapolis firefighter.

The charge comes a day after police officers found half a gram of methamphetamine on Lawrence Wajda, a 21-year veteran firefighter. They also found one pill of ecstasy in a bag in his sleeping area at the fire station.

Police say Autumn Ronning, a woman who was with Wajda at the station, claimed the bag as hers. The two were arrested and jailed.

According to the complaint, authorities found more drugs on Ronning at the jail. She has been charged with three counts of possessing a controlled substance.

After the arrests, Minneapolis Fire Chief John Freutel released a statement to say he was "disappointed to hear the allegations, and it's unfortunate that the actions of a single individual can cast a shadow on the entire department."