2 arrested in connection to fatal overdoses in Chowan County

CHOWAN COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — Two people have been charged after the fatal overdoses of three people last year in Chowan County.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation announced Friday that Steve Allen Patrick, Jr., and Ja’Nyryah White, both of Edenton, were indicted by a grand jury earlier this week and taken into custody.

This comes after Chowan County had at least three fatal overdoses and several other non-fatal overdoses in a 15-day span in December 2023. Janice Chilcutt, 66, Ronald Adderly, 61, and April Tapia, 24, were all believed to have died of an apparent drug overdose, and local authorities requested SBI’s help to investigate.

Patrick was charged with two counts of death by distribution of certain controlled substances in connection to the deaths of Chilcutt and Adderly.

White faces one count of death by distribution of certain controlled substances related to the death of Tapia.

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