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Michele Baker, 39, of Pleasantville
According to the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, on June 21, 2022, Pleasantville resident Michele Baker, 39, was charged with Strict Liability Drug Induced Death in connection with the death of a 44-year-old man in South Toms River on April 19, 2022.
Baker has also been charged with Distribution of Heroin/Fentanyl; Possession of Heroin/Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute; and Possession of Heroin/Fentanyl.
In response to a report of a male who was not responding, South Toms River police officers were called to a home on South Main Street on April 19, 2022. Officers arrived and found the victim's body, who had already passed away from what seemed to be a drug overdose.
Baker supplied the victim heroin and fentanyl on April 18, 2022, according to a probe by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics Strike Force, and the South Toms River Police Department Detective Bureau. The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office just acquired toxicology results that revealed the victim's system contained Heroin and Fentanyl after additional investigation and testing.
The Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office concluded that the heroin and fentanyl identified in the body were the cuase of his death. As a consequence, a warrent was issued for Baker's arrest on June 21, 2022.
Howell Township Police Department officers detained Baker on June 26, 2022, for allegedly shoplifting unrelated items. Baker was taken and booked into the jail in Monmouth County. Baker was taken to the Ocean County Jail on July 4, 2022, where she is now being held until a detention hearing.
