LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — Law enforcement made a rare yet successful arrest in an overdose death in Lorain County, charging two alleged dealers with involuntary manslaughter.
“Charging somebody for the death of another based on selling them drugs is kind of a notoriously difficult task,” said Lorain County Prosecutor J.D. Tomlinson.
It all happened earlier this year in May when Vermillion Police responded to an overdose on Parkland Avenue, where they found 22-year-old Justin Cramer, who later died at Mercy Hospital.
“The Lorain County Coroner would later rule that Justin died from an overdose of fentanyl,” said Tomlinson.
Through a collaborative effort between Vermilion Police and federal partners, detectives used surveillance video from one of Cramer’s neighbors, along with cell phone data, to arrest two dealers who had been supplying Cramer with drugs for months, officials said.
“On October 22, 2022, Tyler Wayne Fox and Abigail Suzanne Link were each named in secret indictments charging them with involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony, corrupting another with drugs, a second-degree felony and trafficking of fentanyl, a fifth-degree felony,” said Tomlinson.
The Lorain County Prosecutor’s Office hopes this arrest serves as a warning that those responsible for drug-related deaths will be held accountable as the county faces 90 overdose deaths, with 84 being fentanyl-related.
“There’s a risk involved to selling drugs. If it causes a death, this is very well what could happen if you’re caught,” said Tomlinson.
At this time, detectives say these two individuals have not been linked to any further drug overdose deaths.
They are, however, looking for similar cases like this one to make more arrests.
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