Man charged in fentanyl overdose death of Vian man

A Roland man who was charged in May 2022 with murder in the first degree-felony murder of a Vian man is set to appear before Associate District Judge Kyle Waters on March 22, according to Sequoyah County court records.

Miller

Jordan K. Miller, 27, was charged May 10, 2022, in Sequoyah County District Court and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest the same day.

District 27 District Attorney Jack Thorp said in a press release that in addition to the murder charge, Miller is facing charges of pattern of criminal offenses and unlawful use of a communication facility for his repeated use of cell phones and Facebook Messenger in the illegal distribution of fentanyl.

Thorp said during the early morning hours of Oct. 27, 2021, Sequoyah County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the home of Gavin Kemper, 30, who was found by his father after he reportedly ingested a fatal amount of fentanyl.

Kemper’s parents, Richard and Patricia Kemper of Vian, said Kemper is originally from Oregon and attended North Plains Elementary, Evergreen Middle School and Glenco High School before going on to graduate from Banks High School in 2009.

“He was a very passionate and talented sports player throughout school and played T-ball, baseball and football,” Patricia Kemper said. “In fifth grade, Gavin placed second in the state championship as a pitcher, then went on to be the state champion in sixth grade.”

“He also played on an undefeated football team his freshman year of high school. In 2014, he moved to Vian where he made his home. He was working at Cellofoam North America Inc. in Sallisaw,” the couple said.

Deputies reported pills printed to look like oxycodone were found at Kemper’s home and sent to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation who determined the pills contained fentanyl, according to the release.

Investigators said Kemper was aware the pills contained fentanyl and used Facebook Messenger to negotiate the purchase. He then reportedly drove to Van Buren, Ark. to purchase the pills from Miller.

“Even though the drugs were purchased in Arkansas, the State of Oklahoma has jurisdiction in this case and murder charges will be pursued,” Thorp said. “The sale was negotiated while the victim was in Sequoyah County and the death happened here in our community.”

Thorp said his office has worked closely with law enforcement to prosecute this case, and to seek justice for the victim and his family.

“This is another grim reminder of the dangers our community is facing from the widespread distribution of fentanyl,” Thorp said.

He said the charges are part of a joint effort between Sequoyah County Sheriff Larry Lane and the District 27 District Attorney’s Office.

Sheriff Lane said the case was a lengthy investigation by Investigator Chris Grizzle, that began with the unfortunate death of Kemper on Oct. 27, 2021.

“While working the overdose case that eventually resulted in homicide charges being filed, Investigators Grizzle and Dwayne Frizzell were simultaneously working a fentanyl distribution case within the county,” Lane said. “During their investigation, they met with an informant that stated they’d purchased fentanyl pills from Miller in the past and could do so again.”

Lane said a meeting was arranged and a purchase of fentanyl pills was made from Miller.

‘Obtaining probable cause for homicide charges in one of these cases is a very long and difficult process,” Lane said. “As always, Investigator Grizzle did a great job and was able to obtain search warrants for phones and social media accounts, and eventually located more than enough evidence to file homicide charges against Miller.’

Lane said the amount of overdose deaths has went through the roof in the past year or so.

“The Sheriff’s Office has been investigating these overdoses as homicides, and anytime we are able to get proof of who supplied the fentanyl to the deceased person, we will pursue homicide charges on that drug dealer,” he said.

Lane said since the Mc-Girt ruling, his office has had an extremely difficult time filing charges on drug dealers.

“Those cases seem to have fallen through the cracks and as a result, we have been faced with a growing meth and fentanyl distribution problem in our area. Hopefully cases like this will shut some of the drug dealers down,” he said.

‘There are several other overdoses that we’re currently investigating. Investigator Grizzle is currently also commissioned with the FBI, therefore he can pursue charges federally if the drug dealer is a member of a federally recognized tribe. Hopefully we are able to charge more fentanyl dealers in the near future and get them off our streets,” Lane concluded.

Miller will appear before Judge Waters at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.