A man was arrested Tuesday and charged under the new Austin’s Law in connection with a fentanyl-related death in Gwinnett County, police said.
Emory Clark, 39, is facing charges of aggravated involuntary manslaughter, sale of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and theft by receiving stolen property in the fentanyl overdose death of Christian Howell, 23, authorities stated.
On July 31, Howell was found unresponsive inside a bedroom at a home on Mill Glenn Court near Lawrenceville. Police spokesman Sgt. Collin Flynn said illegal drugs were located inside the room, and officers began to collect phone data, surveillance footage and other evidence.
Clark, of Snellville, was eventually identified as the distributor who sold drugs to Howell, Flynn confirmed. During a search of Clark’s home, officials said they found narcotic packaging similar to what was discovered at Howell’s home on the day he died, as well as a stolen gun, officials added.
Austin’s Law, signed in April, is named after Austin Walters, a Georgia man who died from a fentanyl-laced pill in 2021. The law created a new category of felony aggravated involuntary manslaughter under which drug dealers and distributors can be prosecuted.
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