This heroin looked and smelled different. After a rash of overdoses in Kentucky, a Detroit man was arrested.
A Michigan man has been arrested in connection with the rash of drug overdoses that happened earlier this month in Jessamine County.
Lamar “Juice” Chaves Thornton, 24, was arrested Thursday in Detroit, according to a federal court docket. Thornton is suspected of being a supplier of heroin in Central Kentucky, an affidavit filed by a DEA agent says.
Emergency crews responded to nine overdoses in 24 hours in Jessamine County on Jan. 9 and 10. One death, suspected of being a drug overdose, happened shortly before that period.
According to the DEA agent’s affidavit, an informant said he had obtained heroin from Thornton for about six months and had obtained an average of 50 grams of the drug every three days. The informant said Thornton stayed at Lexington hotels while he was in town distributing heroin, the affidavit said.
Two cooperating witnesses told investigators that the most recent heroin provided by Thornton had a different color and odor.
Nicholasville police were familiar with Thornton because they had conducted a previous drug trafficking investigation involving him. In November 2013, Thornton was arrested in possession of about 96 grams of heroin, and he later pleaded guilty to trafficking.
Thornton was wanted for failing to comply with his parole requirements, the affidavit said. He was previously convicted on a home-invasion charge and had absconded from probation, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Thornton is the third person arrested in connection with the Jessamine overdoses. Earlier this month, Jerrod Doolin was taken into federal custody on a charge of conspiracy to distribute heroin. And Jeffrey James Ruggiero was charged earlier this month with possession of heroin with intent to distribute.
Greg Kocher: 859-231-3305, @HLpublicsafety
This story was originally published January 23, 2017 at 1:22 PM with the headline "This heroin looked and smelled different. After a rash of overdoses in Kentucky, a Detroit man was arrested.."