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A New Jersey man was arrested after his 12-year-old nephew fatally overdosed on fentanyl on a school bus.
Troy Nokes, 35, of Blackwood, New Jersey, was taken into custody Thursday morning by U.S. Marshals in Pennsauken.
He is charged with aggravated manslaughter, strict liability drug-induced death, maintaining a CDS production facility, employing a juvenile in a drug distribution scheme, endangering the welfare of a child, witness tampering, tampering with evidence, hindering apprehension, aggravated assault and other related offenses.
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On January 24, Gloucester Township Police and the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit were notified that Nokes’ 12-year-old nephew was found unresponsive on a school bus. Students initially thought he was sleeping.
A school nurse performed CPR on the boy until medics arrived. The boy was taken to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where he was pronounced dead a week later on February 1.
The Medical Examiner determined he died from drug intoxication, specifically fentanyl.
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Investigators said the boy lived with Nokes in Blackwood. Nokes allegedly manufactured fentanyl at the home the weekend before the boy’s death. Nokes also told the boy to clean paraphernalia that contained fentanyl, according to investigators. Witnesses told police the boy was not wearing gloves at the time.
Police also arrested Nokes' ex-girlfriend Joanna Johnson and charged her with tampering with evidence and hindering the apprehension of Nokes.
Nokes and Johnson are both being held at the Camden County Correctional Facility pending a pretrial detention hearing.
"The caretaker, who is grandmother of this child, was devastated," Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins said. "And she is losing a family member now who's going into the criminal justice system to be prosecuted. But more importantly, she's lost her 12-year-old grandson."
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"When I hear stories like this, it's just disgusting and it's just heartbreaking," Jenny Volbrecht, who runs a social media group in support of families dealing with fentanyl-related tragedies, told NBC10.
Volbrecht's 18-year-old son died last year when he unknowingly took a pill that was laced with fentanyl. Since then, she's worked to raise awareness on the drug's danger.
"It's the most deadly drug out there," she said. "It just takes the point of a pencil to kill you. That's a lethal dose of fentanyl. It's everywhere. They are putting it into everything."
In a statement, Gloucester Township Public School Superintendent John Bilodeau wrote he was “profoundly saddened” by the 12-year-old boy’s death.
“During this challenging time, the District has offered counseling services to all of our students and staff and will continue in this effort,” Bilodeau wrote. “Any parent or guardian should feel free to contact central administration, their child’s Principal or Guidance Counselor if you have an issue you would like to discuss.”
Officials continue to investigate. If you have any additional information on the suspects or the boy’s death, please call Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Lateasha Jones at 856-225-8656 or Gloucester Twp. Police Detective Mark Grodzielanek at 856-374-5718. Tips can also be emailed anonymously to ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org.
