Belmar man indicted on 37 counts in drug overdose death
FREEHOLD - A 39-year-old Belmar man could spend the rest of his life in state prison if he is convicted on a 37-count indictment for his alleged role in the death of an acquaintance who overdosed on multiple drugs while visiting the defendant’s home, according to authorities.
Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago and Belmar Police Chief Tina Scott outlined the case against Robert M. Clayton in a joint statement on Friday.
On the afternoon of Jan. 2, 2021, officers from the Belmar Police Department were dispatched to Third and River avenues for a caller reporting an overdose in progress in the front seat of his car, according to the statement.
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The vehicle was located on Fifth Avenue with its passenger-side door ajar. As police arrived on the scene, a man was observed crawling out of the car face-first, while yelling at the officers: “Narcan him!”
One of the officers retrieved his first-aid equipment and administered two doses of Narcan to an adult male — unconscious and not breathing — reclined in the front passenger seat, who was later identified as Jonathan Amato, all according to the statement.
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Amato was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in neighboring Neptune, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, the statement said.
The age and hometown of the victim were not released Friday.
An investigation by Belmar Police and the Prosecutor’s Office concluded that Amato had suffered a fatal overdose of controlled dangerous substances that he had ingested at Clayton’s home, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Investigators searched Clayton’s home and said they confiscated the following materials:
919 Xanax pills
101 carisoprodol pills
26 wax folds of heroin
Two bags of powder heroin
Three bags of MDMA (Ecstasy)
97 doses of LSD
One bag of crystal meth
Two bags of ketamine
111 methadone pills
51 Adderall pills
62 Tramadol pills
Two vials of liquid Xanax
11 Oxycodone pills
Used hypodermic needles
Vacuum-sealed packaging bags
Hundreds of unused wax folds
Four scales with residue from controlled dangerous substances
Two whipped-cream-dispensers
200 whippet canisters
In addition to the drugs and drug paraphernalia, 34 thumb memory drives were seized, along with a computer and seven cell phones, according to the statement.
On Friday, Santiago and Scott said Clayton had been indicted on one count of second-degree manslaughter, along with two counts of second-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute; 12 counts of second-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute while on or within 500 feet of a public park; 12 counts of third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance; and 10 counts of third-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
The case is being handled by Assistant Prosecutor Hoda Soliman, director of investigations for the Prosecutor’s Office.
Freehold-based defense attorney Adam Mitchell is representing Clayton in the matter.
A conviction for manslaughter carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years, with 85% of the sentence to be served before parole is eligible. The additional second-degree charges also carry up to 10 years in prison; while the third-degree charges carry up to five years in prison.
Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Belmar NJ man indicted on 37 counts in drug overdose death
