In Baldwin County, four individuals have been arrested and charged under a recently-enacted state law that permits the prosecution of anyone who sells or provides drugs leading to a fatal overdose.

Those arrested were: Gerald Lee Anderson III, 27, Roshell Michael Benson, 32, Malia Autumn Decautur, 25, and Madison Lee Hayek, 22. All have been charged with manslaughter and face up to twenty years in prison.

Patrick Doggett, Assistant District Attorney for Baldwin County, revealed details about the arrests to WJAR 10.

“Once they made that stop, they were able to find more fentanyl inside the car and on a person,” Doggett said. “One of the persons who was arrested and a subsequent investigation from there, they were able to determine that they did, in fact, provide fentanyl to the deceased.”

“They were all four involved in procuring the fentanyl from a supplier. They were able to track that, and determine they all had knowledge of the purpose of being in the car together, going and procuring those drugs and the purpose of going to the deceased residence and providing those drugs to her.”

Doggett assured residents of Baldwin County that those taking part in the selling of drugs will have to answer for their actions.

“Anybody and everybody who is involved in the distribution of this poison to our communities is going to be held into account.”

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten