Two local men have been arrested and charged with supplying a Howell woman with the drugs that killed her, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced on Sept. 23.
Terrance R. Rose, 38, of Freehold Borough, and Reginald A. Simeus, 42, of Howell, are each charged with first degree strict liability for a drug-induced death, according to a press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
On Nov, 17, 2020, members of the Howell Police Department responded to a residence on a report of a possible drug overdose. Upon arrival, they found Katherine Hughes, 35, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the press release.
A joint investigation by members of the prosecutor’s office and the Howell Police Department ensued, through which Rose and Simeus were discovered to have allegedly been communicating with Hughes during the period leading up to her death, according to the press release.
The investigation further determined that Simeus had allegedly obtained the drugs from Rose before passing them along to Hughes prior to her death.
In the early stages of the investigation, Rose and Simeus were charged with multiple drug-related charges out of South Amboy, Middlesex County, and Howell, respectively; those charges remain pending.
The strict liability charge was filed a week ago, with Simeus being arrested without incident at his home on Sept. 17 and Rose turning himself in to members of the Howell Police Department on Sept. 20, according to the press release.
Simeus was later released on his own recognizance.
Rose was transported to the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township, where he awaits a detention hearing before state Superior Court Judge Paul X. Escandon, scheduled for Sept. 24.
Linskey praised what she called the proactive, dedicated efforts of the Howell Police Department, members of whom worked in conjunction with detectives from the prosecutor’s office’s Narcotics and Criminal Enterprises Unit and Major Crimes Bureau.
Convictions on first degree criminal charges are commonly punishable by terms
of up to 20 years in state prison, according to the press release.