Hope Mills man arrested on allegations he traded fentanyl for cigarettes and a man died
A Hope Mills man was arrested Monday in an overdose death after police alleged he traded fentanyl for cigarettes and a man died, court records show.
Jermaine Nathaniel Woodson, 47, is charged with felony death by distribution in the March 9 death of Jordan Michael Taylor, 30, of Hope Mills.
According to an arrest warrant, on March 8, Taylor was driven by his mother to drop off cigarettes for Woodson. The mother and son then went to a Speedway gas station for a beverage where Taylor went to the bathroom for "an extended period of time," the record states. After his mother had a store employee open the bathroom door, the two left to pick up food and then went home, according to the record. The mother reported she last saw her son about 10 p.m.
Shortly before 6 a.m. the following morning, Taylor's mother found her son unresponsive on the floor, the report states. He was pronounced dead at the scene. She told law enforcement that her son's "drug of choice was fentanyl," according to court records. The record also notes that Taylor's girlfriend sent his mother a video of a Facetime call he had with his girlfriend around midnight in which Taylor appeared to be high
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On March 11, police searched a tent belonging to Woodson and reportedly found drug paraphernalia, the record states. It is alleged that he admitted to supplying Taylor with a "bump" of fentanyl and police found text messages between the two in which Taylor allegedly offered Woodson 10 cigarettes in exchange for fentanyl, according to the warrant.
During his first appearance in court Tuesday, a public defender said Woodson has lived in Fayetteville for more than 30 years, has several children and two grandchildren. When Woodson asked if he could get out on pretrial release, Judge Frances Britt told him that's something he'd have to discuss with an attorney. Britt set bail at $100,000 and appointed Woodson's case to the Public Defender's Office.
Taylor, a father of two, graduated from Southview High School in 2012 and attended Fayetteville Technical Community College, according to his obituary. He is said to have been known for helping the homeless and animals.
Public safety reporter Joseph Pierre can be reached at jpierre@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Jermaine Woodson is charged in the overdose death of Jordan Taylor
