A Tisbury man is facing drug-related charges after a woman died of an overdose in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 149 Greenwood Ave.
The police report includes statements from the woman’s boyfriend, Leo Willoughby, indicating that the drugs were bought from his nephew, Jason Willoughby, on Feb. 5.
Leo Willoughby told Tisbury police he’d picked up Jason on Feb. 5 after they arrived on the Patriot in Oak Bluffs. He said that Jason told him he had a large quantity of drugs. They went to Leo’s house, where Jason produced “a ‘block’ of heroin and went to Leo’s bedroom with Leo and [the victim]. Leo stated they bought $100 worth…[Jason] told Leo it was heroin. Leo stated he believes it was Fentanyl because [of] the color and the lack of odor/taste,” the police report states.
The report noted Leo has a long record of drug-related convictions dating back to 1990. “There [have] been numerous overdoses at Leo’s house, including the death of [the victim’s] sister.”
Leo told police the amount of the drug the deceased woman took “was smaller than the head of Lincoln on a penny.”
The Feb. 6 application for criminal complaint states that Leo told police he used a very small amount and it almost killed him. “When he woke up, approximately three hours later, he observed [the victim] on the floor next to the bed…Leo Willoughby stated Jason sells cocaine, Xanax, heroin and whatever else he can get his hands on. [He] stated Jason Willoughby has approximately 20 grams of pure white Fentanyl which will last approximately three days before he’s sold out.”
When police searched Jason Willoughby’s basement apartment, they found evidence that a number of items had been flushed down the toilet. A search of the contents of the clogged toilet, and of the apartment, turned up a plethora of paraphernalia, including, according to the report, “trash can full of needle caps, ‘Fireball’ lids with white residue on them, corner [of a] baggie with white powdery residue found in trash … a sandwich bag half-filled with marijuana in the closet … table with white powder residue on it, two white wax pieces of paper found inside paper towel roll, 3 syringes with needles taken off…”
The investigation is ongoing.
Speaking to The Times on Tuesday, Jason Willoughby’s attorney, Robb Moriarty, questioned the strength of the evidence against his client. “It’s based only on the word of a notorious long-time informant, whose only track record is of drug addiction and larceny,” he said.
On Feb 12, Jason Willoughby was summonsed by Oak Bluffs police on a charge of receiving stolen goods. After Jason Reagan was arrested for larceny on Feb. 1, in connection to the theft of over $50,000 in cash from an East Chop house, Reagan told police he’d given Willoughby $2,000 in cash — $800 for the purchase of drugs and $1,200 for a loan.
Jason Willoughby has an extensive criminal record and is currently being held at the Dukes County jail on $10,000 bail.
He will be arraigned on Thursday, March 8, on a charge of possession with intent to distribute Fentanyl.
