A man from New Jersey was arrested after his 12-year-old nephew died from a fentanyl overdose on a school bus.
Troy Nokes, 35, of Blackwood, New Jersey, was apprehended by US Marshals in Pennsauken early Thursday morning.
He is charged with aggravated manslaughter, strict liability drug-induced death, keeping a CDS production facility, using a juvenile in a drug distribution scheme, endangering the welfare of a child, witness tampering, tampering with evidence, hindering apprehension, aggravated assault, and other related offenses.
Nokes’ 12-year-old nephew was discovered unconscious on a school bus on January 24, according to Gloucester Township Police and the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit. Students mistook him for asleep at first.
Until medics arrived, a school nurse did CPR on the boy. The child was transferred to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he died a week later on February 1.
He died as a result of drug intoxication, namely fentanyl, according to the Medical Examiner.
According to investigators, the boy stayed in Blackwood with Nokes. The weekend before the boy’s death, Nokes reportedly produced fentanyl at his residence. According to investigators, Nokes also directed the boy to clean fentanyl-containing equipment. According to witnesses, the child was not wearing gloves at the time.
Police also detained Nokes’ ex-girlfriend Joanna Johnson and charged her with tampering with evidence and obstructing Nokes’ arrest.
Both Nokes and Johnson are being held at the Camden County Correctional Facility until their pretrial detention hearing.
