BONIFAY – A 31-year-old Chipley man was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Wednesday for selling the fentanyl that led to the overdose of a 35-year-old woman in 2024, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Jastyn Patrick Green pled guilty to Manslaughter on Wednesday for the March 8, 2024, overdose death of a Bonifay woman and was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Russell Roberts.
Holmes County Chief Prosecutor Jake Cook was prepared to prove the defendant sold 10 pills, claiming they were prescription Percocet, to the victim for $10 each. The pills instead contained fentanyl. The victim died the same day. Dealers often use fentanyl as a substitute for the real drug without telling the buyer because it is less expensive and more potent.
The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office investigated the death and gathered evidence that helped lead to the first successful prosecution of a manslaughter charge in connection with a fentanyl overdose in Holmes County.
“The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office did a complete and thorough investigation that led to a successful outcome in this case,” said Cook. “Sheriff John Tate and lead investigator Johnathan Helmes spent months piecing the evidence together that enabled us to obtain justice for the victim and her family.
“While 15 years in prison won’t bring the victim back, hopefully this brings closure to the family and helps prevent drug dealers from taking another innocent life in the future.”
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The defendant’s sentence, the loss of life by the victim, and the suffering of friends and family drive home the dangers of fentanyl use. Because fentanyl is extremely potent, and the potency varies wildly even within a single pill, overdoses are common.
It is a gamble we do not want anyone to take, so we will continue to prosecute those who sell it just as our law enforcement partners will continue their interdiction efforts to stop it from hitting the streets.
Basford thanked the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office for its thorough investigation that included sifting through cell phone location records and messages.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.