Disclaimer: “All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
MONROE, La. (KTVE/KARD) — On December 3, 2022, the Monroe Police Department responded to two fentanyl overdoses that took place in the Monroe area. The overdoses resulted in the deaths of a black male and white female, as well as the arrest of 47-year-old Jarrell Lee Walker.
Officers were dispatched to a home on McClendon Street in Monroe due to the mysterious death of a resident. When officers arrived at the residence, they discovered a Black male who had overdosed. The male was reported as deceased, and officers were informed that the deceased man was allegedly given a white powder substance by Jarrell Walker.
During the investigation of the McClendon Street overdose, another call was made in relation to an overdose at an apartment on Washington Street in Monroe. Once officers were on the scene, a deceased White female was found in the doorway of the apartment.
When officers entered the apartment, Jarrell Walker, Carl Staten, and Lonnie Ruffin were found inside. Staten and Ruffin both had active warrants and were taken into custody, along with Walker, who was deemed a suspect in both fentanyl overdose cases.
The authorities obtained a search warrant for the Washington Street apartment, in which they found a black cylindrical canister with a clear plastic bag inside containing a beige powder suspected to be heroin. Additionally, there were about six suspected crystal meth shards.
The canister was hidden in the dirty clothes hamper located in the bathroom closet and was about halfway down the basket underneath dirty clothes. The officers were also able to find other items in the hamper, such as a broken glass crack pipe, razor blades, a plastic bag of pills, and a glass crack pipe with a bulb on the end.
Sources told authorities that Jarrell Walker was allegedly responsible for providing the two deceased victims with a beige powdery substance before their deaths. Walker also spoke with police in a formal interview, where he admitted his own personal drug use and allegedly distributing heroine to the deceased victims.
Walker has received the following charges:
- 2 Counts of Negligent Homicide
- Prohibited Acts Schedule III
- Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, Schedule II
- Prohibited Acts; Drug Paraphernalia
- Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, Schedule I
Walker’s current bond is set to $109,500.
