ARLINGTON — Prosecutors charged a man Friday with supplying the fentanyl pills that led to a fatal overdose in Arlington.
On Jan. 12, Bradley Herron was staying at the Smokey Point Motor Inn in Arlington, according to the charges filed in Snohomish County Superior Court.
Around 10 a.m., security footage showed another man approach Herron outside his room. The two spoke briefly, then got into a car. The two drove away and returned to the parking lot 10 to 15 minutes later, according to court documents.
Inside the car, Herron is shown handing cash to the other passenger and placing a baggie into his pocket, the charges say. Herron returned to his room.
Around 4 p.m. the next day, Arlington police responded to reports of a man laying on the ground in his room. Officers found Herron, 62, turned him over and discovered he was cold to the touch, court documents said.
Police observed small bottles of hard alcohol around the room. On a table were small blue pills in a plastic bag, as well as a piece of tin foil with burnt residue. Investigators suspected fentanyl, prosecutors wrote.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Herron’s death was the result of the combined effect of alcohol and fentanyl, according to the charges. Atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease were a “significant condition” contributing to his death, prosecutors wrote. A toxicology report found the man’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.145 grams per 100 milliliters, while the fentanyl concentration was 5.3 nanograms per milliliter.
An Arlington detective who reviewed the security footage recognized the man who met with Herron before his death and identified him as Robin Clariday, 34, court papers said. Clariday was wearing a distinctive bulky coat with a furry hood that the officer had seen him wear.
Detectives had trouble locating the suspect, as he was reportedly homeless, the charges say.
On Sept 6., police were notified that Clariday had been booked into the Marysville city jail.
Detectives interviewed Clariday at the jail. He initially denied recognizing Herron or recognizing the other man in the security footage, but eventually acknowledged the man in the footage was him, according to the charges.
The defendant eventually admitted to selling fentanyl to Herron once, but reported he did not know him, according to court papers.
Police arrested him for investigation of controlled substance homicide.
Clariday had no felony record, but has 25 misdemeanor convictions, according to court records.
Controlled substance homicide is a rare charge in Snohomish County. The most recent case was filed by prosecutors in May. So far this year, there have been 164 fatal drug overdoses involving fentanyl in Snohomish County, according to the medical examiner’s office.
At Clariday’s arraignment Monday, Judge Marybeth Dingledy set bail at $25,000.
Jonathan Tall: 425-339-3486; jonathan.tall@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @snocojon.
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