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Muncie man found guilty of drug trafficking that led to teen's fatal overdose

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MUNCIE, Indiana – A Muncie man has been found guilty of giving a Wells County teenager the fentanyl that led to her overdose death.

This week, Judge John Feick of Delaware's Fourth District Court found 23-year-old Teagon Eugene Thatcher guilty of trafficking in controlled substances resulting in death (a Level 1 felony punishable by up to 40 years in prison) and trafficking in narcotics (a Level 5 felony punishable by a maximum sentence of six years).

Feick presided over Thatcher's trial last week before a single-judge panel, in which a judge, rather than a jury, makes the decision. The judge announced the guilty verdicts on Monday.

The verdict is scheduled for September 11.

In an affidavit, a Bluffton police detective said a 17-year-old resident of that community, 45 miles northeast of Muncie, died of an overdose on February 27.

More: Muncie man sentenced to 41 years in prison for involvement in fatal overdose

According to court documents, text messages from Thatcher were found on the teenager's cellphone showing that the teenager had arranged to pick up 1.5 grams of a street drug called “Slo,” believed to be fentanyl, the day before her death.

Thatcher, whose address is also listed in Decatur in court documents, was arrested on April 16.

In a press release, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Ramirez, who led the state's case against Thatcher, noted that the Muncie man was the 13th person convicted of drug trafficking resulting in death in Delaware County.

“We will continue to prosecute drug traffickers who exploit the vulnerable in our society by poisoning them,” he said.

Thatcher still faces charges of neglect of a dependent in July 2023, also in Circuit Court 4.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Reach him at 765-213-5851 or [email protected].

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