Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Pemberton Township Police Chief David H. Jantas announced that a Pemberton Township drug dealer was charged with causing the death of a customer to whom he sold fentanyl-laced heroin in 2017.
Bryant Taylor, 39, whose last official address was the first block of Scrapetown Road, was charged with one count of Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Death (First Degree), one count of Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (Third Degree), and one count of Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (Third Degree).
Taylor was arrested January 14, 2019. He was lodged in the Burlington County Jail pending a detention hearing in Superior Court later this week. The case will now be prepared for presentation to a Burlington County Grand Jury for possible indictment.
On June 18, 2017, Pemberton Township police officers were called to the WaWa store on Arney’s Mount Road for a report of an unresponsive male on the men’s bathroom floor.
The 26-year-old victim died two days later in the hospital without ever regaining consciousness. The investigation determined that the drugs that caused the fatal overdose were purchased from Taylor.
Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood concluded the cause of death was heroin and fentanyl toxicity.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Jeremy Lackey. The investigation was conducted by the Pemberton Township Police Department, with assistance from the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit. The lead investigator is Pemberton Township Police Detective Danielle Hann.