TOMS RIVER – An alleged drug dealer was charged in the overdose death of a man he sold drugs to.
Police said Shemar Jackson, 19, of Galloway Township, was arrested and charged with Strict Liability Drug Induced Death.
The charges stem from an incident on Dec. 5, 2019, when Toms River Police responded to a residence for an unresponsive man. Police found that the 24-year-old man was already deceased from an apparent drug overdose.
Lab analysis confirmed that heroin and fentanyl were found in his system. Investigation led officers to Jackson as the supplier from the day before. Jackson was arrested at his residence in Galloway Township Jan. 23 by officers of the Galloway Township Police Department and Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer acknowledged the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force, Toms River Township Police Department, Barnegat Township Police Department Crime Reduction Unit, Galloway Township Police Department, Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit for their collaborative work in this investigation leading to Jackson’s arrest.
“We will continue to prosecute strict liability deaths to send a clear message to these drug dealers that you will be held responsible. Anyone that chooses to peddle potentially deadly narcotics in Ocean County will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Prosecutor Billhimer stated.
The press and public are reminded that all defendants are innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
