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Maryland heroin dealer charged with involuntary manslaughter

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Chris Jones has been searching for a way to express her grief after losing her son Brandon to a drug overdose. 

"The worst of my life, words can’t describe what it’s been like," she said.

It's been seven months, but she has found a new friend in Sheriff Gary Hofmann.

"Anytime we have someone in the county that has an overdose, we’re looking at who supplied them with that narcotic and if we can determine who supplied that narcotic I’ve made a promise that we are going to come after that person and charge them with the actually crime," Hofmann said.

And he has come through on that promise... twice.

For the second time in a few months someone has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of an overdose. Police say Nathan Johnson sold Brandon Roe the heroin that killed Roe.

Hofmann said, "If somebody’s out there and dealing drugs, absolutely not going to be tolerated and if somebody dies of an overdose during this, we are coming after them. We are going to use every resource possible."

Putting manslaughter charges on drug dealers, isn't the only thing they are doing in the county to combat the war on heroin.

"We had a large number of arrest dealing with cocaine, heroin, marijuana, pills," Hofmann said. 

In addition to those drugs was more than $100,000 in cash and guns. A total of 25 people were arrested in all. 

"No parent should be in my shoes," Chris said. She continued, "I hope it sends a message to the public and the dealers that you’re going to be held accountable for your actions."

"They shouldn’t be dealing at all," Hofmann said. "We know there are more dealers out there that we are going to be charging."