Huntsville Man Sentenced in Connection with Multiple Fentanyl Overdoses, Including Death

Monty S. Jeanneret

BELLEFONTAINE – A Huntsville man was sentenced to prison for his role in four fentanyl overdoses in Logan County that happened within hours of each other, including the death of a 40-year-old Russells Point man.

Monty S. Jeanneret, 30, of 5228 County Road 39, Huntsville, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, as well as two counts of corrupting another with drugs and one count of complicity to corrupting another with drugs on April 6, 2023 in Logan County Common Pleas Court.

The Russells Point Police Department working with the Logan County Unified Task Force began an investigation after referral from multiple contacts on the afternoon of May 11, 2022. At 3:15 p.m., Indian Lake EMS responded to an address on Aiken Street in Russells Point. Russells Point Police Chief Joe Freyhof, arrived before EMS and administered naloxone to an unresponsive 41-year-old male, who was transported to Mary Rutan Hospital. Less than 15 minutes later, at an address on Madison Avenue, police and EMS responded to find a 40-year-old male who was not breathing. Attempts were made to revive him, but were unsuccessful. He was declared dead at the scene.
At both locations, law enforcement observed baggies with white powder and sent it for testing, which revealed it to be a mixture of fentanyl, flurofentanyl and cocaine. Freyhof interviewed the survivor at the hospital, who said that he obtained the powder from the deceased male. He said he thought the drug was cocaine and consented to a blood test, which established the presence of fentanyl. In searching the deceased man’s phone, officers found evidence that the drugs came from Jeanneret.

The same date, at 4:23 p.m., Logan County Sheriff’s deputies and Bellefontaine EMS responded to a crash near the intersection of U.S. 68 and U.S. 33. A 28-year-old DeGraff man was transported from the scene. Investigation revealed he was driving eastbound, lost consciousness, drove through a ditch, crashed through a barrier fence and came to rest on the property near Mary Rutan Urgent Care. A six-year-old child was in the car at the time of the crash. A warrant was obtained to draw his blood. The Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab reported fentanyl, fluorofentanyl, and norfentanyl in the sample and he was subsequently charged with operating a vehicle under the influence. When interviewed, he advised he had been at Jeanneret’s residence to help fix a mower, and obtained the drugs, that he thought to be cocaine, directly from Jeanneret.

At 10:20 p.m. on May 11, 2022, deputies responded to Harrison Street in Lakeview for another overdose by a 52-year-old male. EMS administered naloxone and a deputy observed white powder on a plate in the kitchen in plain view. The male advised of additional drugs located in a kitchen cabinet, and deputies located a baggie with white powder as well as marijuana. The Lakeview man said “he met with Jeanneret outside CJ’s Tavern, purchased the drugs, took them home and later got a call from Jeanneret asking him if he had tried the cocaine yet because one of his friends had gotten sick from using it.”

The task force executed a search warrant of Jeanneret’s home the same evening, but he had fled to Georgia. U.S. Marshals captured him Aug. 17 in the Atlanta area. He was extradited and returned to Ohio in November 2022. At the time of the 2022 offenses, he was on community control for a 2021 felony drug conviction.
Logan County Common Pleas Court Judge Kevin P. Braig sentenced Jeanneret to an indefinite prison term of 14 to 18 years in prison.

“Tragically, many overdose victims have no idea they are ingesting deadly fentanyl, until it’s too late” said Eric C. Stewart, Logan County Prosecuting Attorney. “Fentanyl is highly-addictive, and drug traffickers are increasingly mixing it with other illicit drugs in an effort to drive addiction and attract repeat buyers.”

Russells Point Police Department and the Logan County Sheriff’s Office should be commended for their quick work in solving the case and stopping further overdoses.