Barnegat Man Pleads Guilty In 2019 Drug Death: Prosecutor

BARNEGAT, NJ — A Barnegat man has pleaded guilty in relation to the 2019 drug-related death of a Point Pleasant Borough woman, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced.

Curtis Geathers, 37, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on May 27, 2022 in connection with the woman's January 2019 death, Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Geathers also pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, Billhimer said.

His sentencing is set for July 22, 2022, Billhimer said. The State will recommend a sentence of four years in New Jersey State Prison subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act, as well as a five year sentence for the possession charge, Billhimer said. These sentences are to run cocurrently.

Geathers entered into the plea agreement after consultation with and the approval of the victim's family, Billhimer said.

Point Pleasant Borough Police Officers discovered an unresponsive woman at a local residence on January 10, 2019, Billhimer said. She was taken to Hackensack Meridian Ocean University Medical Center in Brick Township, where she died on January 12 of that year, he said.

An investigation found that Geathers was the supplier of the heroin and fentanyl that was given to the victim on January 10, Billhimer said. He said that a toxicology report revealed the victim's cause of death was Acetyl Fentanyl Toxicity.

Geathers was arrested on February 7, 2019, and has sat in the Ocean County Jail since, Billhimer said. Read More: Barnegat Man Indicted In Ocean County Drug-Death Probe: Pros.

Billhimer thanked the diligent efforts of Senior Assistant Prosecutor Ashley Angelo who is handling the case on behalf of the State, as well as the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force, Point Pleasant Borough Police Department, Berkeley Township Police Department, Seaside Heights Police Department, Toms River Township Police Department, Toms River Police Department Special Enforcement Team and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, for their collaborative assistance in connection with this investigation leading to Geathers’ guilty plea, and soon his state prison sentence.