Former '16 and Pregnant' star charged in man's overdose death
Whitney Purvis, 33, was being held without bond in the Floyd County Jail in Rome, Georgia, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta, according to online jail records. Online records did not indicate whether she had an attorney who could comment the charges.
WAGA-TV reported that police records say that officers went to a home in Rome on Feb. 16 and found John Mark Harris dead from an overdose. Officers saw possible drug paraphernalia at the scene.
An arrest warrant accuses Purvis of giving Harris a combination of xylazine and fentanyl known as 'Tranq' that led to an overdose, the television station reported.
Purvis was arrested by the Drug Enforcement Administration and local officers, according to a statement from the federal agency. The investigation is ongoing, the DEA said.
'DEA reminds the public that nearly 70% of all drug-related deaths involve synthetic opioids, like fentanyl,' said Jae Chung, DEA acting special agent in charge of the Atlanta office. 'Two milligrams of fentanyl is a potentially deadly dose.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Former Netanyahu aide could face charges in security leak case
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's attorney general said Sunday a close adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been advised that he could face criminal prosecution on allegations of providing secret information with the intent of harming the country's security. The development involving a central figure in what is popularly known in Israel as Qatargate comes after police earlier this year arrested the adviser, Jonatan Urich, and former spokesman Eli Feldstein on suspicion of accepting money from Qatar to promote a positive image of the Gulf Arab state in Israel. Feldstein also has been indicted in a separate case involving the leak of classified information to a German tabloid — and Sunday's statement says Urich could face criminal prosecution in that case. The attorney general's statement said Urich is accused of working with Feldstein to share 'highly classified' Israeli military information and said the release 'was intended, among other things, to influence public awareness regarding the prime minister and to shift the discourse' following the killing of six hostages in Gaza in August of last year. The statement says the criminal prosecution of Urich is subject to a hearing but does not say when that will occur. There was no immediate public reaction from the office of Netanyahu, which has been ensnared in scandal while the prime minister continues to face pressure from the Israeli public over the 21-month war in Gaza. In the Qatargate case, Urich and Feldstein were arrested earlier this year on suspicion of accepting money from Qatar — a country that many Israelis view as a patron of Hamas — to promote it in Israel. Qatar is a key mediator in the indirect ceasefire negotiations for Gaza and denies backing the militant group. Netanyahu has given a statement to police on the Qatargate matter but is not a suspect in the case, which he says is baseless and meant to topple his rule. Separately, Netanyahu is the subject of a long-running corruption trial.
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Former Netanyahu aide could face charges in security leak case
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's attorney general said Sunday a close adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been advised that he could face criminal prosecution on allegations of providing secret information with the intent of harming the country's security. The development involving a central figure in what is popularly known in Israel as Qatargate comes after police earlier this year arrested the adviser, Jonatan Urich, and former spokesman Eli Feldstein on suspicion of accepting money from Qatar to promote a positive image of the Gulf Arab state in Israel.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
South African president suspends police minister and launches probe into alleged links to criminals
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday suspended the country's police minister and announced an investigation into allegations he has been colluding with criminal syndicates. Ramaphosa's actions follow allegations made by a top police official in the KwaZulu-Natal province, Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, that Senzo Mchunu and deputy police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya had interfered with sensitive investigations. Ramaphosa said the probe will be headed by a judge, and announced Firoz Cachalia as the acting minister of police. 'The commission will investigate the role of current or former senior officials in certain institutions who may have aided or abetted the alleged criminal activity, failed to act on credible intelligence or internal warnings, or benefited financially or politically from a syndicate's operations,' Ramaphosa said during a televised address Sunday. During a press briefing last Sunday, Mkhwanazi also alleged that Mchunu and Sibiya disbanded a crucial crime unit tasked with investigating repeated politically motivated killings in the province after it was revealed that crime syndicates were behind the killings. He alleged that an investigation by the unit showed that some 'politicians, law enforcement, SAPS (South African Police Service), metro police and correctional services, prosecutors, judiciary' were being 'controlled by drug cartels and as well as businesspeople.' The investigation would include some of the country's crime and justice agencies, including the National Prosecuting Authority and the State Security Agency, Ramaphosa said. Most opposition parties on Sunday criticized Ramaphosa for not firing Mchunu instead of placing him on a leave of absence. 'This was an opportunity to take South Africans into confidence and to deal with these issues decisively, instead he calls for a commission of inquiry and expects South Africans to be patient when people are dying on a daily basis,' said Nhlamulo Ndhlela, spokesperson of official opposition MK Party.
