Berkeley Man Pleads Guilty To 2 Drug Deaths: Prosecutor

A Berkeley man pleaded guilty Tuesday to selling heroin to two men hours before their death, the Ocean County prosecutor announced. Two Berkeley men who received heroin from Cody Lessing were found dead within 24 hours of each other in February, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Berkeley police found Keith Tandberg, 45, and James Tice, Jr., 29, unresponsive in February and pronounced the dead on the scene, the prosecutor said. A toxicology report found heroin and fentanyl in both their systems, the prosecutor said.

Police investigation determined Lessing, 26, sold them heroin hours before their deaths, Billhimer said. Lessing is scheduled to be sentenced on April 24, the prosecutor said.

"As I have previously vowed, we are committed to the relentless pursuit and prosecution of all individuals selling illegal narcotics in Ocean County," Billhimer said in a statement. "The continuing presence of Fentanyl and the alarming rise of opioid related deaths require this approach."

Photo of Cody Lessing provided by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office