Teen charged in connection with death of Greenfield man

A 17-year-old boy from Sauk Rapids was charged Tuesday in connection to the death of Mankato State student Colton Gleason of Greenfield. The St. Cloud Times reports Jesse Jean Smithers is charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and first-degree assault.

According to the criminal complaint, Smithers is accused of being a passenger in the vehicle that approached Gleason and two female friends in St. Cloud last Thursday night. The complaint states Smithers got out of the car and punched Gleason in the face, causing him to fall backward and hit his head, the newspaper reports.

KARE 11 says Gleason, who was studying business in college, was a 2010 graduate of Orono High School and had been captain of the soccer team there.

Gleason is being hailed as a hero for sticking up for his friends.

Gleason's friends had started a Twitter hash tag to spread information about the search for the man who punched him, WJON AM reported. The hash tag is #Justice4Colton.

Those following the case were grateful for an arrest: