Morris County Man Sentenced in Connection with Mount Olive Fatal Drug Overdose

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Mount Olive, NJ - John P. Rowe, 30, a former Budd Lake resident, has been sentenced in connection with a fatal drug overdose in Mount Olive, according to Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll, Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, and Mount Olive Township Police Chief Stephen Beecher.

On March 22, 2023, Rowe pleaded guilty to first-degree Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Death, first-degree Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Distribute, and a Violation of Probation. The Honorable Stephen J. Taylor, P.J. Cr., sentenced Rowe to an aggregate term of 12 years in New Jersey State Prison on April 29, 2023. The sentence is subject to the No Early Release Act.

The sentencing is linked to a fatal drug overdose that occurred at the Days Inn in Mount Olive in September 2021. Law enforcement responded to a report of an unconscious male at the hotel. The victim, identified as 19-year-old G.B., was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced deceased the next day. The Morris County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the cause of G.B.'s death as fentanyl toxicity.

Investigations revealed that Rowe had distributed fentanyl on September 21, 2021, in Morristown. It was further alleged that the fentanyl supplied by Rowe led to G.B.'s fatal overdose. Rowe was subsequently charged with Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Death, a first-degree crime in accordance with N.J.S. 2C:35-9.

This statute holds any person who manufactures, distributes, or dispenses a controlled dangerous substance strictly liable for a death that results from the use of that substance. Violation of this statute could lead to up to twenty years in New Jersey State Prison, with a compulsory eighty-five percent parole ineligibility as per the No Early Release Act.

During a separate investigation in June 2022, officers executed a search warrant at Rowe's Mount Olive residence and seized more than five ounces of Methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance. At the time of both incidents, Rowe was serving a probationary sentence, which these arrests violated.

Rowe was held at the Morris County Correctional Facility during the proceedings in accordance with the Criminal Justice Reform Act.

Upon Rowe's arrest, Prosecutor Carroll issued a stern warning to drug dealers, stating that the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office will not hesitate to charge illegal drug dealers under the Strict Liability Drug-Induced Death statute when the facts implicate the dealer in the death of a user.

Carroll added a specific warning for dealers of the lethal substance fentanyl, cautioning them of the severe consequences due to the high risk of overdose for their customers.

The successful prosecution involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Mount Olive Township Police Department, Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit.