(WILMINGTON, Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, Clinton County Sheriff Ralph Fizer Jr., and Clinton County Prosecutor Richard W. Moyer announced today that a Wilmington woman is facing 13 charges, including involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide, after she allegedly sold drugs to a person who later died of an overdose.
Brandy Camp, 33, was arrested on Thursday after a Clinton County Grand Jury indicted her on multiple charges following an investigation by the Clinton County Sheriff's Office with assistance from agents with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) working as part of Attorney General DeWine's Heroin Unit.
Camp is accused of causing the death of Richard Campbell Jr., 38, in March 2014 after selling him a mix of heroin and fentanyl on which he later overdosed.
A Clinton County Grand Jury indicted Camp on the following charges:
- Involuntary Manslaughter
- Reckless Homicide
- Trafficking in Heroin (4)
- Aggravated Trafficking in Drugs (2)
- Possession of Heroin
- Endangering Children
- Tampering with Evidence
- Possession of Criminal Tools
- Receiving Stolen Property
"This case should send a strong message to heroin dealers in this state that they will be held accountable if the drugs they sell cause a deadly overdose," said Attorney General DeWine. "State and local law enforcement are taking the heroin epidemic very seriously, and we will not allow those who cause overdose deaths to get away with it unpunished."
“Many of the street level drug dealers claim they only deal drugs to feed their own addiction and as a result, often receive lighter sentences," said Sheriff Fizer. "We feel it is time for these drug dealers, regardless of their reasons for dealing drugs, to be held accountable for their actions. In this instance Ms. Camp’s alleged actions resulted in the death of an individual.”
"If we are going to make progress in the drug epidemic then dealers at every level need to have serious consequences," said Prosecutor Moyer. "In my experience heroin dealers know exactly how much can be sold at a given time in order to stay at the lowest level of a felony. I believe we need to prosecute the drug dealers to the fullest extent of the law."
Brandy Camp is currently in the Clinton County Jail on $50,000 bond.
Last week, Attorney General DeWine sent a letter of support for House Bill 508 to State Representative Jim Butler (R-Oakwood), who introduced the bill in April. The bill calls to increase the criminal penalties currently allowed by law for those found selling a controlled substance that leads to an overdose death.
"By expanding the definition of murder to include individuals who proximately cause an overdose death through drug trafficking and creating enhanced penalties for these acts, this bill would provide a much-needed criminal deterrent, as well as accountability for the drug dealer's role in Ohio overdose deaths," wrote Attorney General DeWine.
Attorney General DeWine created the Heroin Unit in 2013 after statistics gathered by the Attorney General's Office revealed an increasing rate of heroin overdose deaths last year. In addition to providing investigative and prosecutorial assistance in connection with heroin trafficking investigations, members of the unit also provide expanded prevention outreach to communities struggling with heroin abuse and addiction.
Last month, the Attorney General's Heroin Unit assisted in an investigation that led to the arrest of several individuals suspected of orchestrating a major heroin operation in northeast Ohio, and grant funding provided as part of the Attorney General's efforts to fight heroin abuse is funding a heroin recovery pilot program in northwest Ohio that will be studied for potential use by other communities across the state.
Letter of support for House Bill 508
Clinton County Jail Booking Photo of Brandy Camp
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Media Contacts:
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Jill Del Greco: 614-466-3840