Man Pleads Guilty To Fentanyl Death In Berkeley: Prosecutor

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A man pleaded guilty Monday to manslaughter for a drug-induced death last April in Berkeley, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced. Charles Rice, of Lacey, sold a combination of heroin and fentanyl to a man who was later found dead, the OCPO said.

Rice pleaded guilty to manslaughter and heroin and fentanyl distribution. A plea deal calls for him to serve seven years in prison for manslaughter and six years for the drug charge. The sentences would run simultaneously. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 14.

Berkeley police went to a home April 21, where they pronounced a man dead. The investigation found Rice sold the victim a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, and the ingestion caused the man's death, the OCPO said. Authorities have not publicly identified the 25-year-old victim.

Police arrested Rice, 58, at his Lacey home and kept him in Ocean County Jail.

Related article: Berkeley Among Top 20 NJ Towns In Heroin Abuse Cases

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