Two men were arrested Thursday in connection with a fentanyl overdose death in Harrison County.
According to the sheriff’s office, 28-year-old Cameron Coffman and 31-year-old Christopher Bunch were both arrested on a felony charge of fentanyl death stemming from a drug overdose under Parker’s Law.
A multi-agency investigation led to the pair of arrests, which stemmed from the fentanyl-related overdose of an unidentified 35-year-old man on June 7. Investigators used forensic data and witness statements to track the source of the fentanyl as Coffman and Bunch. Prosecutors say both subjects knowingly distributed fentanyl and were “aware of the dangers of the drug.”
Both are being held at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center in Gulfport on a $500,000 bond. Officials say more arrests are anticipated in the ongoing investigation.
During the 2022 state legislative session, Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 607 into law, better known as Parker’s Law, that opened the door for drug dealers to be prosecuted in drug-related deaths. The legislation stemmed from namesake Parker Rodenbaugh, who lost his life to overdose in 2014 while he was a student at Mississippi State University.
Should Coffman and Bunch be convicted, the charge of fentanyl death stemming for a drug overdose carries a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.
