‘Terrible reality’: Family speaks after arrest made in son’s overdose death

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — The man wanted for first-degree murder in Hillsborough County has been arrested in Alabama.

Officials say Altwain Carlise fled the state to evade his arrest warrant for his alleged involvement in selling drugs that led to the fatal overdose of 23-year-old Dhane Hogan.

“It’s hard for me to put in one sentence what I miss most about my son,” Tiffany Thompson said. “It’s just everything. His smile. His laugh.”

“People say it goes away and it gets better over time,” said Tony Libby, Hogan’s fiance. “It’s just a harsh, terrible reality I have to get through every day.”

Carlise was located by the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force in Enterprise, Alabama on Tuesday.

Hogan died in his Tampa home from fentanyl in August 2023. However, detectives said he didn’t know the deadly drug was slipped into the deal.

“He had no idea who was purchasing fentanyl,” Thompson said. “He thought he was purchasing something else. And because of that he did not wake up.”

Court records show Carlise was initially arrested the day after Hogan’s death when he was found with fentanyl, cocaine, oxycodone, and marijuana. However, he was released from jail on a $34,000 bond.

After further investigation, a warrant was issued for his arrest for first-degree murder in March.

Carlise is also facing additional drug trafficking charges in the state of Alabama.

He remains in jail awaiting extradition back to Florida.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.