PORT JERVIS – A Port Jervis woman was arrested on Thursday and charged with criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance for allegedly supplying the narcotic drug Oxycodone to a 28-year-old Port Jervis man prior to his death, which is suspected from an overdose early Thursday morning.
Katelyn Smith, 23, was arrested along with Gloria Bruno, 62, of Glen Spey, who is accused of illicitly distributing the drug to Smith, said Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler.
“This is the first that we have had in Orange County where we have had multiple sellers in the chain charged with sale of narcotics that resulted in a death,” Hoovler said.
Both Smith and Bruno were arraigned in Port Jervis City Court and sent to the Orange County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail each.
The arrests stem from a joint investigation by Port Jervis Police, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the county Medical Examiner’s Office. The investigation is continuing as police and prosecutors await the results of an autopsy and toxicology analysis by the medical examiner.
So far this year, there have been over 30 drug overdose deaths in Orange County. Last year there were over 100, said Hoovler.
