LITTLE EGG HARBOR – Two Ocean County residents are being indicted after providing a 16-year-old boy heroin and fentanyl that caused him to die of an overdose, police said.
David Belk, 45, and Stephanie O’Neill, 44, both of Little Egg Harbor, are being indicted on the following charges: Strict Liability Drug Induced Death, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Distribution of Heroin, Possession of Heroin with Intent to Distribute and Possession of Heroin in connection to the teen’s death.
On July 3, Officers from the Little Egg Harbor Police Department responded to a home on East Susquehanna Drive regarding an unresponsive 16-year-old boy lying on the floor. Officers immediately administered lifesaving techniques and afterwards the young man was transported to Hackensack Meridian Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, where he was subsequently pronounced deceased.
The investigation revealed that Heroin and Fentanyl were found inside the home. Toxicology analysis confirmed that Heroin and Fentanyl were present in the victim’s system and the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office determined these drugs as the teen’s cause of death.
As a result, Belk and O’Neill were charged with Strict Liability Drug Induced Death on August 26. That say day, O’Neill was taken into custody and was released by the court on home detention pursuant to New Jersey Bail Reform. On August 27, Belk was apprehended in Atlantic City by the New Jersey Transit Police, and has been lodged in the Ocean County Jail since his apprehension.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer would like to acknowledge the diligent efforts of Senior Assistant Prosecutor Mara Brater who is handling the case on behalf of the State and commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Vitim Witness Advocacy Unit, Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department Patrol Division, Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, for their collaborative efforts in connection with this investigation.
The charges referenced are merely accusations and the public is reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
