Myrtle Beach man will spend 20 years in prison for dealing deadly drugs, US Attorney says
A Myrtle Beach man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for dealing deadly drugs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
James Latron Sumter, 35, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute a quantity of cocaine and heroin, which resulted in serious bodily injury or death, a release states.
“The United States Attorney’s Office is locking arms with our state and local partners in the fight to end the opioid epidemic in our state,” said U.S. Attorney Sherri Lydon. “Locally, we are assisting our partners in Myrtle Beach and Horry County by working hand-in-hand with their narcotics and homicide detectives.”
The release said evidence presented during hearings showed Sumter was contacted in December 2017 by co-conspirator Charles Rayford Hunt, Jr., who was seeking to purchase what is commonly called a “speedball”—a potent combination of cocaine and heroin—for $100 for a female acquaintance of Hunt’s.
Authorities said Hunt met the woman while working as an Uber driver and had a “short-lived romantic relationship” with her for two days prior to the incident. Text messages and statements reflect Hunt drove the victim to his apartment where she snorted the drugs and immediately showed signs of an overdose, the release said.
When seeing her reaction, Hunt contacted Sumter and returned to pick him up. Not wanting to take the overdosing victim home to her father with whom she lived, Hunt and Sumter drove around and eventually stopped at a Myrtle Beach area bar to play pool sometime after midnight — leaving the victim passed out in the backseat of the car, authorities said.
After playing pool, Hunt took Sumter back to the apartment complex and drove around the Myrtle Beach area with the victim still passed out in the backseat of his car. Eventually, Hunt realized the victim had stopped breathing at which time he panicked and dumped her body in a wooded area just across the North Carolina border early in the morning, authorities said.
Hunt then drove back to Myrtle Beach, throwing the victim’s cellphone into the Intracoastal Waterway on the way back, officials said. He took the victim’s purse and belongings to Jose Anthony Ortiz, Jr., who destroyed many of the victim’s personal items in a burn pit at Hunt’s request, the release states.
Authorities learned about the incident the next day and began an investigation.
An autopsy and toxicology report later confirmed the victim died as a result of a heroin and cocaine overdose, the release states. Further investigation showed Sumter had conspired with several other individuals in the Myrtle Beach area during 2017 to distribute cocaine and heroin on other occasions.
The evidence reflects that another overdose in January 2017 may also be attributable to heroin Sumter provided. This second victim was revived by first responders using Narcan, and he has since reportedly recovered from his addiction, the release states.
Hunt and Ortiz were prosecuted for their roles in covering up the overdose. Both men pleaded guilty and are currently serving sentences in federal prison. Sumter has been in custody since he was arrested on this charge in August 2018.
This story was originally published August 9, 2019 at 10:50 AM.
