Lacey Man Gets 7 Years For Supplying Drugs That Killed 25-Year-Old
BERKELEY — An Ocean County man that supplied a deadly cocktail of drugs to a Berkeley Township resident has been will spend just under a decade behind bars, announced Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer.
On Sunday, April 21st, 2019, Berkeley Township Police received a call for a report of an unresponsive 25-year-old male at a residence in the township. With the help of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crime Unit and the Berkeley Township Police Department Detective Bureau, police were able to reveal that Rice sold him the mixture.
Charles Rice, 58, of Lacey Township, was sentenced to seven years in prison after he supplied heroin that contained fentanyl to the victim. Rice was initially charged with Strict Liability Drug-Induced Death, but ultimately was hit with a Manslaughter as well as Distributing Heroin and Fentanyl.
"This particular defendant sold heroin that contained fentanyl, which ultimately caused the victim's death. We have been very clear that we will continue to arrest and prosecute individuals that pedal illegal and sometimes deadly narcotics in Ocean County," Billhimer said in a statement.
Rice, who plead guilty to the charges in December, must complete 85 percent of his term, or just under six years, to be eligible for parole.
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