Man’s drug sentence comes with warning of homicide charges
OROVILLE » A Butte County court sentenced a 49-year-old Chico man Thursday to more than six years in jail and additionally warned him any continued sales of drugs could bring about a homicide charge.
Shawn Charles Nowlin, 49, was sentenced to six years and eight months in county jail after pleading no contest to counts of possession of methamphetamine for sale, possession of heroin for sale and possession of fentanyl for sale.
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said in a press release that Nowlin was the first local drug dealer to be given an official warning during his court sentencing that should someone die in the future from
fentanyl-laced drugs supplied by him, Nowlin could be charged with murder and face life imprisonment
in state prison.
Nowlin was stopped for speeding in April and a Butte County Sheriff’s Office K-9 found pounds of methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl hidden in Nowlin’s truck’s tailgate, Ramsey said. In addition,
hundreds of counterfeit oxycodone pills were found and determined to be laced with fentanyl.
Thursday’s fentanyl warning won’t be the last as Ramsey said it will be given to local drug dealers upon
their arraignment in Superior Court.
He added the warning states that the illicit drug supply in Butte County has become polluted with fentanyl and any drugs sold should be presumed to contain fentanyl.
“With this warning and presumption, a drug dealer no longer has the excuse that they ‘didn’t know’ their drugs contained fentanyl should a customer die from consuming their fentanyl-laced product,” Ramsey said in the press release. And a murder charge could follow.
Ramsey said that the drug has become a potent killer in the county, saying that a dose and smallest 2 mg can be enough for a fatal overdose.
Ramsey also asserted that Butte County has seen a 34% increase in overdose deaths between 2019 and 2020.
He added that 11 deaths have been associated with fentanyl from January to April 12, 2021.
He said that’s more people that have died from fentanyl in the county than that had died in all of 2020.
He added that anyone who buys Xanax or oxycodone on the street illegally should not assume that drug is safe.