A Uintah County man has been sentenced to 151 months in federal prison for distributing fentanyl that caused the death of another individual, according to a report published August 31.
Jerod Arthur Young, 50, of Fort Duchesne, received the sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Howard C. Nielson Jr. after pleading guilty to fentanyl distribution on March 26 of this year.
Court documents and statements from sentencing hearings indicate that on Nov. 15, 2023, in Fort Duchesne, Young sold fentanyl to a victim for profit, which resulted in her death. Law enforcement determined through the victim's phone that she had communicated and engaged in a financial transaction with Young around the time of her death.
A pill found near the victim tested positive for fentanyl, and a medical examiner determined the cause of death was fentanyl toxicity. Young reportedly contacted law enforcement voluntarily while in treatment, stating he believed he sold the pills that killed the victim.
In addition to his prison term, Young was ordered to serve three years of supervised release. At the time of the sale, Young was on pretrial release and has a criminal history of drug trafficking convictions in 1997, 2015, and 2023.
U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak stated that the lengthy sentence is intended to send a strong message to those pushing dangerous drugs into communities. Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls of the Salt Lake City FBI noted the human cost of the fentanyl epidemic.
The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office’s Vernal Resident Agency and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sam Pead.
