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An Evansville man and woman face decades behind bars after two children ingested fentanyl pills stashed in their bedroom, resulting in the death of a three-year-old girl.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Brookman sentenced Arcinial Montreal Watt, 36, and Jazmynn Alaina Brown, 27, both of Evansville, for their roles in a fentanyl dealing operation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Indiana’s Southern District.
Watt has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl resulting in death.
He has also been ordered to pay $6,007 in restitution.
Brown has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents and evidence presented during Brown’s sentencing hearing, between August and October of 2021, Watt obtained at least 400 grams of fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills and stored them in a bedroom he shared with his girlfriend, Brown.
Brown sub-leased the room in a shared residence on East Sycamore Street in Evansville, where she lived with two other women and their four children—ages 4, 3, 18 months, and two months.
Pills were sold and divided for sale by Brown inside the residence.
On Oct. 26, 2021, the three older children accessed the bedroom where the pills were stored and removed a plastic bag containing fentanyl pills prepared for sale. The pills spilled, exposing the children to direct contact. Although Brown recovered some of the pills, several remained unaccounted for.
The three-year-old girl who came into contact with the pills was pronounced dead the following morning as a result of fentanyl poisoning.
The 18-month-old girl was taken to the hospital, where she was placed on a naloxone drip and survived her fentanyl poisoning.
During the investigation, agents seized more than 5,750 fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills marked M30, more than $25,000 in cash, and a firearm. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, as little as 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance, and past usage.
“This heartbreaking case underscores the devastating consequences of fentanyl trafficking—not just for those who use these drugs, but for innocent children caught in the crossfire,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, said in a release.
“The loss of a young life is a tragedy that no family should endure, and those who recklessly endanger others by distributing these deadly substances must be held fully accountable,” he added.
The Evansville Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case.
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