The TBI has charged two men in the July death of a Bradley County Jail inmate who was found unresponsive in his cell, and an autopsy confirmed he overdosed on fentanyl the two men allegedly gave him.
Jonathan Eric Bankston, 35, and Jonathan Bryan Hilliard, 31, each are charged with second-degree murder, manufacture, sale and delivery of schedule II drugs and possession of schedule II drugs in a penal facility, according to a release from Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
"Schedule II drugs, substances or chemicals are defined as drugs with a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence. These drugs are also considered dangerous," according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
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On July 10, TBI agents launched an investigation into the death of Eric Means, 31, who was found unresponsive in his cell, TBI spokesperson Susan Niland said in the release.
"During the course of the investigation, agents developed information that Jonathan Bankston, who was arrested on or around July 9, was able to bring into the facility a quantity of fentanyl pills and was selling them inside the jail," she said.
Hilliard, who was working as a trusty inside the jail, Niland said, took one of those pills from Bankston and gave it to Means. A trusty refers to inmates deemed trustworthy to handle special responsibilities or privileges.
A Bradley County grand jury returned indictments charging both men in Means' death, according to the state agency.
District attorney's office investigators worked on the case with TBI drug investigators, Niland said.
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Hilliard was already incarcerated when he was served with a grand jury indictment, authorities said. Bankston was arrested Tuesday.
Hillard, along with two other inmates, was also charged with second-degree murder in June in the Feb. 24 fentanyl overdose death of fellow inmate Dustin Cox.
Sgt. Robert Jones, a spokesperson for the Bradley County Sheriff's Office, said in an email the agency could not answer questions Thursday due to internet issues.
Bradley County had 51 overdose deaths in 2021, according to Tennessee Department of Health drug trends data. Bradley and Hamilton County, where 171 overdose deaths occurred, have the two highest overdose rates in the southeast portion of the state in 2021. The 2021 figures were the latest available.
Bankston is being held on a $100,000 bond, while Hilliard has a $150,000 bond, according to Bradley County Jail records.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.