Florida drug dealer charged with murder after client dies from Fentanyl overdose
On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 15, Florida’s Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) announced that their Major Crimes Detective Unit arrested Ke’Andre Darvay Stokes of Lady Lake after a Grand Jury indicted him for First Degree Murder for causing the death of another by unlawful distribution of fentanyl. The 28-year-old drug dealer will be celebrating his 29th birthday in prison on October 4. MCSO Major Crimes Detective Annemarie LaRocque was taking the lead in that arrest.
On June 2, 2021, MCSO received a call for service in reference to a deceased male whose body was found on the shoulder of I-75 North near mile marker 353 in Ocala. That man was later identified as 29-year-old Michael Landon Jones. During a search of the area and Jones’ remains, two plastic bags were found that contained fentanyl.
On July 7, 2021, the Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Jones died as a result of fentanyl and ethanol toxicity.
As the police investigation moved forward, it was learned that Jones and Stokes had met shortly before the victim’s death to complete a drug transaction. The Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team (UDEST) continued to investigate Stokes. Within hours of Jones being found dead, UDEST and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) served a search warrant at Stokes’ Sumter County residence, where they located over 100 grams of Fentanyl, 1.01 grams of Cocaine, 4.73 grams of Marijuana, cash, and paraphernalia.
SCSO placed Stokes under arrest for several drug charges. Meanwhile, Detective LaRocque continued the homicide investigation.
On June 15, 2022, the facts and evidence surrounding the death of Michael Landon Jones were presented to a Grand Jury, who indicted Stokes for First Degree Murder. On August 25, 2022, Stokes, who had remained incarcerated in the Sumter County Jail, was served with a warrant for his arrest. Stokes was transported to the Marion County Jail on September 9, 2022, where he remains without bond.
(Source and Ke’Andre Darvay Stokes mugshot: MCSO)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
