Opioid epidemic: Cobb County DA vows action in overdose cases

Denise Dillon
·2 min read

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - The Cobb County District Attorney's office has issued an arrest warrant for a man who sold drugs to a teenager that led to a fatal overdose. The DA says his office is pursuing legal action against those who sell these deadly drugs.

"Ben was really active. He was a Boy Scout; he received his Eagle at 15. He was a very competitive baseball player; he played on the top-level travel baseball team. He was being recruited to pitch in college," said Ben's mom, Laura Hutchins.

Hutchins says her son, Ben, a 17-year-old Sprayberry High School senior, had a bright future ahead of him. But one night in September, Ben bought drugs from a man near a Waffle House in east Cobb. Ben overdosed and died.

Investigators say they have now identified the man who sold those drugs. The Cobb County District Attorney's office has issued an arrest warrant for 38-year-old Austin Love.

"We were able to find a witness who witnessed the transaction and, because of the Real Time Crime Center, we were able to look at the video of the transaction, to be able to conclusively identify he was the one who sold the drugs to him," said Cobb County District Attorney Flynn Broady.

DA Broady says that since the Opioid Fatality Review project was set up a little more than 2 years ago, every deadly drug overdose has triggered a thorough investigation.

"We go out and talk to the family, talk to the people surrounding them, get a lot more information than we normally would have," said D.A. Broady.

DA Broady says this helps give families, like Ben's, answers.

"I honestly never expected any type of justice in this. I know how hard it is to go after dealers that are predatory to our children," said Hutchins.

Laura Hutchins says her family is now using their tragedy to help others.

"We have a lot of initiatives and scholarships in his name and getting justice will add to that and give meaning to what our family is doing. I don't want another child to die, especially in my own community. It's heartbreaking," said Hutchins.