FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – A suspected Fresno drug dealer is indicted in deaths of two people.
A federal grand jury has returned a two count indictment against 40-year-old Darnell Pearson.
He’s charged with distribution of the drug, fentanyl, resulting in death.
Federal prosecutors say Pearson was supposed to sell the victims cocaine, instead, he sold them fentanyl.
According to court documents, on January 7, 2019, one victim died in Madera, on the same day that three people were found on the ground in Fresno, having overdosed.
Fresno Police received a 911 call regarding the three people, unconscious at an apartment complex on the 900 block of Van Ness in Fresno.
They were rushed to CRMC, but only two survived.
Health officials say fentanyl is extremely dangerous, and law enforcement says it’s a serious public health threat in the Central Valley and the nation as a whole.
“You don’t know what you’re purchasing if you are going to be buying drugs on the street,” said Fresno Police Deputy Chief Pat Farmer, speaking during a press conference about the arrest of Pearson. “You don’t know what they are cutting it with.”
If convicted, Pearson faces a minimum of 20 years in prison, a maximum of life in prison, and a $1 million fine on each count.
Health officials urge people who use opioids to take advantage of the following resources for help:
www.centralvalleyopioidsafety.org
https://www.co.fresno.ca.us/departments/behavioral-health/substance-use-disorder-services
Click to listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
