Dover woman charged with selling cocaine in Exeter, causing death
BRENTWOOD — A Dover woman is being held in jail pending an evidentiary hearing on a charge alleging she sold a man cocaine in Exeter, causing his death.
Police say Ashley Q. Holt, 40, sold a man cocaine near Phillips Exeter Academy March 8 and he was found dead the following day near white powder believed to be the drug. She was arrested Tuesday, July 25, on two felony charges — sale of a controlled drug and sale of a controlled drug with death resulting — and arraigned at Rockingham Superior Court Wednesday, July 26.
The maximum penalty for the sale of a controlled drug resulting in death is punishable with life in prison in New Hampshire.
Prosecutors argued in court that qualified Holt to be held without bail, similar to other charges that can result in life imprisonment like first-degree murder. They also argued Holt should be held because she's a danger to herself and the community.
Rockingham County prosecutor Marcia Rossen said the fact Holt was with her children in her car negotiating a drug deal with the victim demonstrated she is a danger. Phone records allegedly indicate she texted the victim that she could not speak at the moment because she was with her kids in the car.
“Obviously it’s very concerning to the state that the defendant is conducting drug sales with very young children in the car,” Rossen said.
Schulman agreed to detain Holt because of the statute regarding a life sentence, but only pending the evidentiary hearing set for Thursday, Aug. 3, at 11 a.m., when attorneys will discuss whether there is evidence Holt’s drug sale caused the death.
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Holt’s attorney, Paul Garrity, argued the cocaine from his client cannot be pinned as the cause for the victim’s death. He argued text messages indicate the victim was not feeling the effects of the drug.
An affidavit indicates the man texted Holt shortly after purchasing the drugs that night, “I’m so disappointed,” Rossen read while making her own case in the hearing. She said the texts include messages from the victim saying the amount was a gram that cost $200 and that he was “already halfway through” and had “yet to feel the feeling.”
Garrity argued because police found cocaine near the victim when he died, it should be determined how much they found to show whether the victim got more cocaine from another individual.
“If it’s more than half a gram, I think that is significant evidence in terms of there’s someone else involved in this chain of events other than Miss Holt,” Garrity said.
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Exeter police began investigating Holt the day they discovered the man unresponsive and declared him deceased at the scene. Detectives investigating the death determined it was the result of a suspected overdose, according to police. A toxicology report later listed the cause of death as “acute combined alcohol and cocaine toxicity.”
The charge of selling a controlled drug with death resulting is a Class A felony. While it calls for a potential life sentence, it includes the possibility of parole.
The Exeter Police Department received assistance in the investigation from the Rockingham and Strafford County Sheriff’s Offices and the U.S. Marshal’s New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Dover woman charged with selling cocaine in Exeter, causing death
