On the first day of August, Sheriff Al Nienhuis and the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference to address a pair of issues. The first was a 52-year-old case that the Sun covered elsewhere in this edition, and the second was a collection of investigations surrounding overdose deaths due to fentanyl. The Sheriff’s Office discussed the drug epidemic that has been ravaging the United States and what they are doing to combat it.
“Over the last several years, it is no secret that the state of Florida and the entire country has been besieged by what Attorney General Ashley Moody calls a ‘weapon of mass destruction,’ and that’s drugs, particularly fentanyl.”
Sheriff Nienhuis echoed sentiments he has heard from law enforcement about the “exponentially” increasing difficulty of investigating murder cases involving drugs, with overdose cases being harder still. That is why the HCSO’s Homicide and Vice and Narcotics Units have been using “high tech and low tech good old police work” to bring those who are responsible for these deaths to justice.
Working closely with the state attorney’s office, Sheriff Nienhuis noted that the HCSO has “made eight separate charges for homicide as a result of an overdose death” since 2022. He detailed some of these cases on Thursday.
On June 27 of last year, Kim Lassiter was found unconscious and not breathing in her residence on Mohawk Trail. After being transported to Oak Hill Hospital by Fire Rescue, she would later be pronounced deceased due to an apparent fentanyl overdose around 6:30 that evening. There was an anonymous tip the next day that also identified the supplier of the fentanyl.
Unless the cause of death is extremely obvious, such as a bullet wound or blunt force trauma, the HCSO must wait for the cause of death to be determined by a medical examiner. Nearly three months later, the overdose would be confirmed on September 12 when the sheriff’s office received the autopsy and toxicology report. The suspect admitted to providing fentanyl to Lassiter and upon learning of her death, he returned the next day to try to retrieve the fentanyl. On July 12, 2024, HCSO had sufficient evidence to arrest Thomas Pizzo (DOB 7/23/1962) for First Degree Murder and Delivery of a Controlled Substance.
On Sept. 20, 2023, James Briski (DOB 12/18/1998) and Joshua Ware (DOB 10/19/2004) were arrested for the death of 17-year-old Sierra McCabe. That same day, deputies responded to Briski’s residence for “an assumed medical call for service,” Nienhuis stated. It was there that McCabe was found unresponsive before passing away at the hospital – also due to an overdose.
The perpetrators had placed the deceased in an ice bath to lower her body temperature. Instead of calling Fire Rescue, they left her alone for two hours and continued to ingest narcotics. After finally checking up on her and noticing that she was not breathing, they called 911. Due to these developments, Briski and Ware were quickly arrested and charged on various counts: Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child (Briski and Ware), Possession of Cocaine (Briski and Ware), Possession of Xanex (Ware), and Trafficking in Fentanyl (Ware).
The final case Sheriff Nienhuis discussed on Thursday was that of suspect Nicole Davies (DOB 4/13/1990). Following an exhaustive investigation, she was arrested for supplying methamphetamine and fentanyl to 31-year-old Sean O’Leary, who had been friends with Davies since high school. In October 2022, authorities responded to the deceased’s residence after the body had been discovered by his father. It was later determined that O’Leary had been addicted to fentanyl.
In August 2023, this case was presented to the state attorney’s office and in April of 2024, a Grand Jury returned an indictment for First Degree Murder, Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Sell or Deliver, and Using a Two-Way Communication Device to Facilitate a Felony. The case continues with a Pre-Trial conference on Sept. 27.
With fentanyl becoming cheaper to purchase, according to the sheriff, it can be easier to accidentally be given an amount that results in an overdose. “If they don’t cut it enough, you could be taking something that you think is a dose that you can handle as an addict, and it’s enough to kill you. We believe that’s probably what happened in the recent overdose deaths we’ve had in this area,” he said.
Nienhuis also feels that the overdoses can be due to dealers lacing other drugs with fentanyl to try to get people addicted.
“To say it’s dangerous is one of the understatements of the year,” Nienhuis continued. Due to its addictive nature, using the drug is “like playing Russian Roulette,” he cautioned. The local sheriff did offer some words of encouragement, though, as he noted that the statistics on overdose deaths appear to be trending downward.
If individuals have any information on cases that the HCSO is working, Sheriff Nienhuis urges people to come forward. Through Crimestoppers, citizens can remain anonymous and could be eligible for up to $5,000 in rewards.
