SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 10, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A Tooele man is facing federal charges after law enforcement officials say he sold heroin to a man who died of an overdose in 2018.
The suspect, 25-year-old Andrew T. Whitehouse, has also been charged in U.S. District Court in an unrelated case in which he is accused of possession and distribution of child pornography, according to a previously sealed complaint. Whitehouse is in custody.
In the first case, Tooele police responded to a call of a man who was not breathing on the evening of Oct. 7, 2018.
“The man’s father told police that he believed his son had overdosed on drugs,” say documents released Wednesday. “Emergency workers were not able to revive the man, identified as J.B. in court documents.”
A medical examiner later determined J.B. died of “mixed drug and alcohol intoxication,” according to a criminal complaint.
Officers found a used syringe in the bathroom sink with what appeared to be heroin residue, the complaint says. They also found a needle mark on J.B.’s wrist as well as a small baggie, digital scale and his cellphone, the statement says.
J.B’s phone contained 34 text messages between him and a person named “Andrew.” The texts started at 2:33 a.m. that day with J.B. asking for drugs. There were also 11 calls. Communications stopping at 4:30 a.m.
According to the complaint, Whitehouse told investigators that J.B had only $13 when he arrived at his house. Whitehouse claimed the J.B. went back inside to find more money, the statement says.
While J.B. was inside, Whitehouse said he divided the heroin into a smaller amount to sell the victim $13 worth, the complaint says.
Whitehouse claims that when J.B. returned without any more money, he decided to leave without selling the heroin, according to the complaint. Whitehouse said he told J.B. at about 4:30 a.m. to buy heroin from someone else. The victim’s phone, however, indicates he had no further contact with anyone that morning, investigators said in the complaint.
Whitehouse is charged with one count of distribution of heroin. Distribution of child pornography has a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison with a five-year minimum mandatory sentence.
In the pornography case, a woman said she was contacted by a stranger who alerted her to a website with a topless photo of her, along with her personal information.
“The victim recognized the photo as one of several taken of her engaged in sexual activity that she had sent to Whitehouse in 2012 when she was 15 years old,” the statement says.
“The woman said Whitehouse knew her age at the time and asked her to pose in sexually explicit positions and that she had sent him more than 50 pictures, according to the complaint.”
Police did a forensic search of the digital media in Whitehouse’s home, uncovering the photo the stranger sent to the victim, and other photos of her at age 15. Investigators also found other photos of the victim at age 15.
The maximum potential sentence for distribution of heroin is 20 years in prison. If the defendant is convicted of that charge, federal prosecutors could seek an enhancement at sentencing for the victim’s death.
Possession of child pornography is up to 10 years.
Prosecutors in the Utah U.S. Attorney’s Office are prosecuting the case. Special agents and task force officers with the DEA are investigating the case, with assistance from the Tooele City Police Department.
