Fatal Teen Overdose Leads To Prison Sentence For Woodbridge Man

WOODBRIDGE, VA — A Woodbridge man was sentenced to 52 months in prison last week for selling fentanyl to a 14-year-old boy who later died of an overdose, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The man, 21-year-old Latae'veion Woods, pleaded guilty to distributing a Schedule II controlled substance to a person under age twenty-one in January. Woods faced a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, though prosecutors noted that most sentence are much lighter than the maximum.

Authorities claimed that Woods sold pills to a 14-year-old boy in April 2022. The boy believed that they were Percocet pills, but investigators learned that they contained fentanyl. The boy died of an overdose five days later, according to court records.

Read more: Woodbridge Man Pleads Guilty To Selling Fentanyl To Teen Who Overdosed

Police officers found messages on the teen's phone that showed that Woods distributed pills to him throughout March and April 2022. Woods even told the teen how to resell the drugs, authorities claimed.

In text messages, Woods also offered to sell the teen a handgun, court records showed.

In April 2022, two teenagers fatally overdosed in Prince William County, leading local authorities to issue a warning. "The Police Department recognizes our youth population as most susceptible to peer influence and pressures," the Prince William County Police Department said. "We implore parents and guardians to take immediate action to actively engage with their children and loved ones as soon as possible about the dangers of drug use and encourage constructive dialogue to prevent further deaths and illness."

The Prince William County School system and Prince William County Community Services offer support and resources for families. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration operates a 24/7 hotline at 1-800-662-4357.