WHITE COUNTY, Ark — According to the White County Sheriff's Office, a man has been charged with manslaughter for allegedly distributing drugs, resulting in the death of a user.
In a "first in county," deputies and the Central Arkansas Drug Task Force announced 30-year-old Jonathan Shaver was charged with manslaughter after someone died due to drugs Shaver distributed to them.
The investigation began with overdose deaths, leading to search warrants, seizures of evidence and arrests which provided probable cause for a warrant for Shaver.
Shaver was taken into custody on Friday, April 22, on a $200,000 bond and at this time remains in custody.
“The arrest of Mr. Shaver is a significant development in the investigation but is not the conclusion," Sheriff Phillip Miller said. "The White County Sheriff’s Office and Searcy Police continue to work with the Central Arkansas Drug Task Force to develop actionable information on those that bring narcotics into White County.”
In the past months, White County law enforcement has worked multiple unintentional overdoses in which the victim had taken a pill or pills that contained fentanyl, resulting in an overdose.
Some of these overdoses resulted in death.