Columbia County DA sends a message after overdose death
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - One hundred and fifty people die a day from fentanyl. On July 19, 2020, Alex King was just one of them.
King’s death is part of a much larger story. A CDC graph shows the number of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. since 2015.
In June 2015, the U.S. reported about 50,000. The number’s climbed every year, to nearly 100,000 in June 2021.
We were live from the Columbia County Justice Center, where the district attorney spoke on Monday. He says an arrest in King’s death is meant to send a message.
The indictment, issued by the Columbia County grand jury, was announced Monday afternoon by District Attorney Bobby L. Christine and Sheriff Clay N. Whittle.
Colin James Magill, 30, of Grovetown, was arrested after an investigation into the fentanyl-overdose death of King. Magill is charged with an indictment with felony murder in the death which allegedly resulted from the distribution of a Schedule II controlled substance – fentanyl.
This case paints a bigger picture of what is happening in our area, in our own homes.
According to his family, King took something he had no clue was fentanyl, and he’s one of the many faces who paid for it with his life.
Christine says it’s time for some ability.
“It is my belief that in some communities, lawbreakers don’t know where the red line in the sand is,” he said.
Our I-TEAM found 80 percent of all drug overdoses in Aiken County alone involved fentanyl in 2020. In July 2021, fentanyl ed for 70% of deadly drug overdoses in Richmond County for the year.
Though Christine was not able to speak specifically to this case, he says people frequently have no idea they’re taking fentanyl. In 2021, the U.S Attorney’s Office sentenced two Burke County men to prison for pressing fentanyl to look like other pills.
“Pursuit of these pushers must be put into motion in order to drive this surge from our community,” said Christine. “Your District Attorney’s Office in Columbia County will back the blue.”
If you or someone you love is battling a drug addiction, SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. Their number is 1-800-662-4357. For additional information, visit their website at website or keep Narcan on hand.
Copyright 2022 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
