A man from the area is going to prison for a long time because he is accused of selling fentanyl pills that killed a 21-year-old Coralville resident.
The 36-year-old Jerome Smith has addresses in both Solon and Coralville.
The 21-year-old said he bought four fentanyl pills from him earlier this month, which is a Class “C” felony. He was charged with delivery of a controlled substance causing death.
Court rules 21-year-old died of acute fentanyl intoxication
Police looked into the 21-year-old’s death and toxicology reports showed that the person died from “acute fentanyl intoxication,” according to criminal complaints. Police found that Smith “delivered (four) pills of fentanyl” to the 21-year-old on Oct. 2 for $60, based on “phone records and witnesses.”
Class “C” felonies can get you up to 10 years in prison, but a new law from 2023 in Iowa says that if the crime involves a minor or ends in death, the penalties can be harsher.
This charge could get Smith up to 30 years in prison if he is found guilty.
Police set up a cocaine sting to arrest Smith
Smith was arrested for a different crime on October 3. The police broke up a deal for Smith to buy cocaine. While carrying a Ruger pistol, he tried to flee the scene of the crime when police arrived.
It was a Class “C” felony for him to break the rules about controlled substances, and it was a Class “D” felony for him to have a gun while being a felon.
After being caught, Smith has also been charged with witness tampering, which is a third Class “C” felony.
Smith allegedly threatened witness from jail
According to the charges, Smith called and wrote letters to a witness while he was in the Johnson County jail.
Police say that Smith “has repeatedly made threats over the phone to harm” the witness, their family, and other “known associates.”
Court records show that Smith has also “instructed subjects” to go to the witness’s home. The subjects are said to have been seen at the witness’s home.
An order to not contact has been made since then.
Smith is being held in the Johnson County Jail on a $185,000 bond for all the charges he faced in October.
