Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Lumberton Township Police Chief Nicholas Peditto announced that a Lumberton woman has been charged with possessing and planning to sell illegal narcotics.
Linda Naulty, 53, of the first block of Cedar Street in Mount Holly, was charged with two counts of Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (Third Degree), Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance with Intent to Distribute (Third Degree), Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance with Intent to Distribute Within 1,000 Feet of a School (Third Degree) and Failure to Surrender Narcotics (Disorderly Persons).
Naulty was transported to Mays Landing and lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
The investigation began on February 8 after Lumberton police officers and emergency medical technicians were dispatched to the 500 block of Main Street for a report of an unconscious adult male. Upon arrival, they discovered that the man had fatally overdosed on opioids.
Within a few hours, Naulty was identified as the source of the drugs and located and taken into custody. In her possession were multiple doses of heroin and nearly $1,400 in cash.
If the evidence in the case confirms that Naulty sold the drugs that killed the decedent, charges against her could be upgraded to include Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Death.
Under New Jersey law, “any person who knowingly manufactures and distributes a controlled dangerous substance will be held liable for the death caused by the injection, inhalation, or ingestion of the substance.”
Since 2017, there have been 25 defendants charged in Burlington County with Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Death. Ten have been convicted or pled guilty, and another four have been indicted. The remaining cases are pending presentation to a grand jury.
The investigation is being conducted by detectives from the Lumberton Township Police Department and the BCPO Gang, Gun & Narcotics Task Force. The lead investigator is LTPD Detective Aaron Roselli.
All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.