Defendants accused of distributing fentanyl that led to inmate’s death at Northern Branch jail
Two Santa Barbara County men charged with distributing fentanyl inside the Northern Branch jail — resulting in two inmates overdosing and one of them dying — are expected to stand trial together in early December, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The defendants, Kaelen Wendel and Michael Villapania, were indicted for distributing fentanyl that led to the Oct. 20, 2022 death of one jail inmate and serious bodily injury to a second at the county’s Northern Branch Jail near Santa Maria, Sheriff Bill Brown announced earlier this month.
A federal grand jury indicted the pair in January, charging them both with “the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and serious bodily injury.” The inmate who died was identified only as “E.E.” in the indictment. The inmate who sustained serious bodily injury was identified only as “J.V.”
Mr. Villapania pleaded not guilty to the federal charge on March 23, Ciaran McEvoy, public information officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, told the News-Press. His trial was scheduled to start May 16, but was continued until Dec. 4, Mr. McEvoy said.
Mr. Wendell pleaded not guilty to the same federal charge on April 24, he said. His trial is still scheduled for June 20, but “there is an agreement between the prosecution and defense to continue Wendell’s trial date to Dec. 4, when he would be tried alongside his co-defendant, Villapania,” Mr. McEvoy said. “We’re awaiting the court’s decision on that request.”
If convicted, each defendant would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment, he said.
Both defendants are incarcerated at Men’s Detention Center, Los Angeles, where they’re being detained without bond.
Assistant U. S. Attorney Suria M. Bahadue of the Criminal Appeals Section is prosecuting the case.
Sheriff Brown joined federal authorities and law enforcement leaders at a May 9 news conference where officials announced a dozen new federal cases targeting fentanyl dealers who, in all but one case, allegedly sold fentanyl and fake pills containing fentanyl that directly resulted in the death of at least one victim. The sheriff specifically noted the indictments of Mr. Wendel and Mr. Villapania.
After the Oct. 20 double overdose, an intensive investigation was conducted by the Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Bureau, with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration, revealing that Mr. Wendel, 31, of Lompoc, an inmate who had been arrested for outstanding property crime warrants, had allegedly smuggled fentanyl into the jail and into the housing unit where the overdose occurred, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Mr. Villapania, 35, of Santa Barbara, an inmate who had been arrested for an outstanding probation warrant, a property crime warrant, and a warrant for bringing narcotics into jail, allegedly conspired with Mr. Wendel to sell some of the fentanyl in exchange for jail commissary items, the Sheriff’s Office said.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the investigation following the double overdoses revealed that Mr. Wendel, a new inmate at the facility, brought fentanyl into the unit, and Mr. Villapania, who knew both Mr. Wendel and J.V., brokered a deal with J.V. in which Mr. Villapania allegedly sold some of the drugs in exchange for the commissary items.
“J.V., in turn, allegedly shared some of the drugs with his cellmate, E.E., the inmate who died after ingesting the fentanyl,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
“We must resolutely enforce the laws against those who cavalierly manufacture and distribute dangerous drugs like fentanyl without any regard for the lethal consequences of their reckless actions,” Sheriff Brown said at the May 9 news conference.
“Today we send a strong message to those in Santa Barbara County who sell or distribute this poison,” he said. “It will not be tolerated. If you choose to sell fentanyl in our communities, you do so at your own risk. The Sheriff’s Office and our federal partners will continue to investigate and prosecute those responsible for fentanyl-related overdose deaths, to the fullest extent of the law.”
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada added that his office was “fully committed to combating the fentanyl crisis, which is wreaking so much destruction across this nation.
“Those who traffic in fentanyl should be on notice that our office will hold you accountable and the consequences will be severe,” he said. “The deadly risks of fentanyl are well known. The cases announced today charge drug dealers who have caused the death or injury of others, and thereby prioritized greed over human life.”
In their initial Oct 20, 2022 news release about the incident, sheriff’s officials said the quick actions and efforts of custody deputies at the Northern Branch Jail resulted in the reversal of two inmate overdoses, but that one inmate was beyond resuscitation.
The custody deputies were alerted around 9:06 p.m. by another inmate that their cellmate in D Unit was unresponsive. The deputies responded to the cell and found the unconscious inmate, lying on the ground and turning blue. They radioed for Wellpath medical and began life-saving measures including two rounds of Narcan (naloxone).
When Wellpath medical arrived, they gave the inmate two more rounds of Narcan and continued life-saving measures while the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and American Medical Response were enroute. When AMR arrived, the inmate had become conscious and was transported to an area hospital for follow-up care.
Hours later, on Oct. 20, at approximately 1:45 a.m., custody deputies were again called to D Unit for a medical emergency where they found an unconscious inmate. As they began life-saving measures, they cleared the cell of the remaining occupants, and in the process found an additional unconscious inmate.
While County Fire and AMR were enroute, deputies administered seven rounds of Narcan to the first inmate and performed CPR. When AMR arrived, they continued thorough life-saving measures, but were unable to revive the inmate who was pronounced deceased at approximately 2:20 a.m.
The additional inmate was administered six doses of Narcan by custody deputies along with CPR. He eventually regained consciousness and was transported to an area hospital for follow-up care.
The inmate who died was identified as 37-year-old Edgar Mescua Estrada, also known as Edgar Estrada Amezcua, from Santa Maria. He was arrested on May 5, 2022, by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office for obstructing a peace officer (felony), violation of a domestic violence restraining order (misdemeanor) and possession of a controlled substance (misdemeanor), with a felony violation of probation hold for a previous conviction of child cruelty. He was being held without bail.
“Sadly, today’s jail overdoses and death appear to be the result of an illicit opioid, probably fentanyl, proving that this scourge upon our community and our nation extends to even the most secure area of our county,” Sheriff Brown said at the time. “We will be conducting full criminal and administrative investigations, and a review of our protocols to keep contraband out of our jails, but this tragedy also reinforces our need to work together as a community to address the vexing problem of opioid abuse through enhanced prevention, enforcement and treatment efforts.”
email: nhartsteinnewspress@gmail.com
