SOUTH CAROLINA — The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office has announced the county’s first arrest under South Carolina’s new fentanyl-induced homicide law.
Sheriff’s officials said 35-year-old Thomas Justin Barwick was arrested Tuesday on a charge of fentanyl-induced homicide. The charge stems from an investigation that began with a search of Barwick’s home on Dec. 3. Authorities later determined that 62-year-old William Karl Joseph Myers died after using drugs he allegedly obtained from Barwick.
In addition to the homicide charge, Barwick is facing multiple drug- and weapon-related charges connected to his Dec. 3 arrest. Those charges include distributing methamphetamine, trafficking fentanyl between four and 14 grams, manufacturing, distributing or possessing Schedule I and Schedule II narcotics and LSD, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, possession or sale of a stolen pistol, possession or distribution of a stolen vehicle valued at less than $2,000, and possession of other controlled substances classified under Schedules I through IV…