A Geauga County grand jury has indicted a Cleveland man following an investigation into a heroin overdose death that occurred in Chardon Township in November 2016.
Brandon Sherman, 24, was found dead of an apparent drug overdose at a Kirtland Road home on Nov. 12, 2016. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s office determined Sherman died of acute intoxication caused by the combined effects of fentanyl and heroin, Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz said in an April 18 press release.
After Geauga County Sheriff’s Office deputies conducted an investigation into the source of the fatal mixture, including undercover drug buys, Flaiz said it was determined the drugs had been purchased from Ronnell T. Smith in the Colinwood area of the City of Cleveland.
Smith, 24, was charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter, a felony of the first degree; one count of corrupting another with drugs, a felony of the second degree; and two counts of drug trafficking.
“Our office is committed to working with the sheriff’s office to aggressively pursue holding drug dealers accountable for overdose deaths that occur in our county,” said Flaiz.
Smith currently is incarcerated in the Lorain Correctional Institution for felony convictions in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.
The sheriff’s office conducted the investigation into this matter with the assistance of the Fifth District Cleveland Police Department, Euclid Police Department and prosecutor’s office investigators.
