Baby dies of fentanyl overdose; three charged
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Three people have been charged in the fatal fentanyl overdose of a one-year-old baby.
On Nov. 18, Columbus police said officers responded to the 100 block of South Harris Avenue on a report of an unresponsive baby. The infant, Dekari Johnson, was transported to Nationwide Children's Hospital, where medical staff attempted to resuscitate him. He was pronounced dead at 5:58 p.m.
An autopsy conducted on Nov. 21 showed that Dekari Johnson tested positive for fentanyl.
On Friday, a grand jury indicted Dekari Johnson's father and two others in his death on the multiple felony charges.
The infant's father, 20-year-old David Johnson III, was charged with the following felonies:
- One count of involuntary manslaughter (first degree)
- Two counts of endangering children (third degree)
- One count of tampering with evidence (third degree)
- Ten counts of drug offenses (first degree)
Destiny Strickland, 20, was charged with one count of obstructing official business, a fifth-degree felony.
Daviair Porter, 22, was charged with the following felonies:
- One count of tampering with evidence (third degree)
- One count of drug possession (fourth degree)
- One count of obstructing official business (fifth degree)
Johnson III was arrested on Nov. 19, according to court records.