Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A plea agreement has been reached in a Rochester murder case.

43-year-old Timothy Loftus was scheduled to stand trial next week on charges connected to the death of a 28-year-old Rochester woman nearly 3 years ago. According to court documents, Tia Arleth was last seen alive on May 29, 2022 and she was reported missing about two weeks later.

Olmsted County ADC
Olmsted County ADC
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The criminal complaint filed against Loftus states that investigators later learned that she had been dropped off at his Rochester home on May 29. The charges also indicate that a review of cell phone records determined that her cell phone remained at that location until it apparently ran out of power a couple of days later.

The court document includes a statement from a witness who told Rochester police that Loftus had confided in him that Arleth died after he provided her with opioids.

READ MORE: Missing Woman’s Body Found Near Rochester; Authorities Suspicious

A local property owner discovered the young woman's body in a farm field east of Rochester in June 2022.

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Loftus was charged with third-degree murder and a felony count of interference with a dead body or scene of death. He also faced charges in two other cases. He was accused of illegal possession of a firearm/ammunition by a person convicted of violence, second-degree drug possession, fifth-degree drug possession, and fleeing police.

READ MORE: Rochester Man Charged With Woman’s Overdose Death

photo courtesy Kraus-Anderson
photo courtesy Kraus-Anderson
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Under the terms of a Petition to Enter Guilty Plea filed today in Olmsted County Court, Loftus has agreed to enter guilty pleas to interference with dead body or scene of death-conceal body  in connection with the death of Tia Arleth and a second-degree drug charge in a separate 2022 case. All of the other charges against him will be dismissed.

The plea deal calls for Loftus to serve a total of 100 months in prison with credit for the time he has already spent in jail.  His sentencing hearing has been scheduled in July.

More Minnesota News:

$25,000 Rewards Offered in Two Rochester Cold Case Murder Investigations

The Rochester Police Department is hoping to identify those responsible for the deaths of April Sorenson and Robert Volgmann.

Gallery Credit: Photos supplied by Rochester Police Departmentt

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