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John Nabors, 26, of Mountain Brook, Alabama, was arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 30 for the incident that killed Fairfield County resident Thomas "Tom" Gleason of Ridgefield.
Gleason, who grew up in Newtown where he attended the Hawley School, was found in distress when deputies responded to a medical assist call on Sand Dunes Road in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, on Saturday, May 14, said the Walton County Sheriff's Department.
Deputies immediately began CPR and administered an AED, the department said.
While doing so, three more men collapsed and became unresponsive. All the men were transported to Sacred Heart Hospital, the Sheriff's Office said.
Days later, Gleason was pronounced dead, officials said.
An investigation revealed all the men had traveled to Walton County for a bachelor party from Georgia, Alabama, and Connecticut to celebrate their friend, the Sheriff's Office said.
The investigation also found the underlying cause of Gleason’s death was a lethal dose of fentanyl which was found in narcotics directly provided by Nabors, the department said.
On Tuesday, Nov. 15, the findings were presented to a grand jury and Nabors was indicted on felony charges of distributing a controlled substance causing death.
“Our Criminal Investigations Bureau was able to tie the deadly dose Gleason took to Nabors,” said Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson. “This case is tragic and certainly one we want to bring to a successful prosecution for Thomas’ family.”
Gleason was laid to rest on Friday, June 3 in Newtown.
His family asked for donations to Families Against Fentanyl. www.familiesagainstfentanyl.org, to continue the fight against the deadly drug.
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