Long Branch Man Charged In Overdose Death of NJ Woman: Prosecutor

LONG BRANCH, NJ — A 31-year-old Long Branch man has been charged in the death of a woman who died from an overdose in Tinton Falls in February, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni announced Tuesday.

Lateef Reevey has been charged with first-degree liability of a drug-induced death after Lucy Yardley, 25, Flanders, died from an overdose on Feb. 21, Gramiccioni announced. Under New Jersey law, any person who distributes a controlled dangerous substance is liable for the death of a person who dies from the injection, inhalation or ingestion of the substance. Reevey was also charged with third-degree distribution of the controlled dangerous substance, the prosecutor said.

If convicted, Reevey faces up to 20 years in prison on the first-degree charge and up to five years for the drug distribution charge.

On Feb. 21, Tinton Falls police received a report of a possible overdose victim in a local motel room. Officers found Yardley on the floor of the bathroom inside her room and she was unconscious and not breathing, according to a news release. Despite efforts to resuscitate her, Yardley was pronounced dead.

An investigation into her death revealed that Yardley had ingested heroin and that she had contact with Reevey the previous day. On Feb. 22, police located Reevey in the parking lot of the same motel, where he was found with a large quantity of heroin and cocaine, packaged for sale, as well as two cell phones. Prosecutors said that when officers approached him, Reevey broke one of the cell phones, which an investigation showed he had used to communicate with Yardley two days before.

Reevey was arrested and charged with two counts of drug possession, two counts of drug possession with the intent to distribute, one count of conspiracy to distribute the drugs and one count of tampering with evidence as well as possession of drug paraphernalia. The investigation was conducted while police and prosecutors waited for the results of the autopsy into Yardley's death, which led to him being charged with the first-degree offense.