Maricopa County, CL: A lady from Larimer County died of an overdose last summer, and three people from Fort Collins are now in custody on suspicion of supplying the fentanyl that she used.
Deputies from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a residence in the 5400 block of North Highway 1, north of Fort Collins, on the morning of July 23. The man discovered the body of his companion, Jessica Lange, 43 years old, after waking up.
A news release from the sheriff’s office stated that investigators discovered evidence of narcotics use at the property. At the time of her death, the woman had various substances in her system, including methamphetamine and fentanyl, according to a toxicology report from the coroner’s office.
Investigators identified three Fort Collins individuals as potential suppliers of the fentanyl pills that caused Lange’s death overdose after months of questioning and gathering digital evidence.
Gary Brown, 52, Diane Petryszyn, 36, and Roland Rideout, 42, are the three individuals facing charges of a Class 1 narcotics felony: the illicit distribution of fentanyl resulting in death.
Fort Collins Police Services was already conducting an investigation into possible narcotics activity at Brown’s residence in the 600 block of Justice Drive in Midtown Fort Collins, according to investigators from the sheriff’s office. On February 29, during a search of the residence, authorities allegedly found three weapons, hundreds of fentanyl tablets, and methamphetamine.
August 2023 saw the execution of a search warrant by investigators from the sheriff’s office at a second property linked to the suspects, this one located in the 3500 block of Windmill Drive in southwest Fort Collins. Based on the information provided by the sheriff’s office, investigators have discovered quantities of methamphetamine that are deemed user amounts at that residence.
As a mitigation measure, the Fort Collins Building Department condemned both houses.
The sheriff’s office reported last month that Brown, Petryszyn, and Rideout were apprehended after a search of a residence on Justice Drive. The sheriff’s office reported that one individual was apprehended for two outstanding warrants, another was cited for misdemeanor controlled substance possession, and still third was arrested for misdemeanor controlled substance possession.
“Fentanyl is destroying lives in our community, and we’ll continue working with our partners to hold dealers accountable,” stated Bobby Moll, the investigations captain of the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, in a publicity release. In spite of the difficulty and expense of these distribution investigations, “every pill we get off the street is a potential life saved.”
A bond of $500,000 has been posted for Petryszyn’s release from custody at the Larimer County Jail. Also still in detention are Brown and Rideout, who are each posted $750,000 bonds. The first of April is when all three are due in court.