Atlantic County officials have announced that a Galloway Township and a Pleasantville man have been indicted on charges of first-degree Strict Liability for a Drug-Related Death and other charges in connection to the 2018 fatal overdose of 59-year-old Anthony Tamburelli.
According to officials on January 20, an Atlantic County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Emery Chapman, 39, of Pleasantville and Brian Whitted, 56, of Galloway Township with first-degree Strict Liability for a Drug-Related Death, Conspiracy, Possession with Intent to Distribute, Distribution of CDS. Chapman is also indicted on a charge of Witness Tampering.
“These arrests represent the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office continued commitment to investigating and prosecuting those responsible for fatal overdose deaths," Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner said. "We need to remove the stigma of addiction and prosecute those who peddle poison that results in a fatality. We urge all family members and loved ones who find a person that overdoses to preserve the scene so our detectives can get the information that is vital to prosecuting these crimes.”
According to police, on Monday, December 17, 2018, officers of the Galloway Township Police Department located the Tamburelli, deceased in his residence, from a drug overdose.
A police investigation revealed that Whitted and Chapman conspired to distribute heroin and sold Tamburelli the fatal combination of heroin and fentanyl.
This is an investigation by the Gangs, Guns and Narcotics Unit of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office with the assistance of the Galloway Township Police Department.
These charges are merely an accusation and not proof of guilt. In all criminal cases, a charged defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.