An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the indictment of two Johnson City women on reckless homicide charges in connection with an overdose death.
In November, TBI special agents with the Drug Investigation Division, along with detectives from the Johnson City Police Department Special Investigations Squad, began investigating a drug overdose that resulted in the death of a Washington County man. During the course of the investigation, agents learned that the victim purchased heroin, believed to be laced with fentanyl, shortly before he overdosed. Further investigation revealed that Tasha Williams, 43, and Darlicia Yvette Jordan, 32, were the individuals responsible for distributing the heroin to the victim.
“The top priority for drug dealers is making money. They don’t care whether their customers live or die,” said T.J. Jordan, assistant director of the TBI’s Drug Investigation Division. “We want dealers to know we are coming after them, and they will face more consequences than ever before if the drugs they’re selling kill someone.”
“In situations where we have evidence that links a dealer to an overdose death, we will prosecute,” said 1st Judicial District Attorney General Tony Clark. “It’s crucial that we begin targeting the opioid epidemic from all angles, so this is just another way we can hold those distributing these drugs accountable.”
This week, the Washington County Grand Jury returned indictments charging both women in connection with the victim’s death. Ms. Williams is charged with one count of reckless homicide, one count of Sale of Schedule 1 Controlled Substance in a Drug-Free School Zone, one count of Delivery of Schedule 1 Controlled Substance in a Drug-Free School Zone, and Maintaining a Dwelling where Narcotics are sold. Ms. Jordan is charged with one count of reckless homicide, one count of Sale of Schedule 1 Controlled Substance in a Drug-Free School Zone, and one count of Delivery of Schedule 1 Controlled Substance in a Drug-Free School Zone. Both women were arrested Friday morning and booked into the Washington County Jail on a $50,000 bond.