Law enforcement officials, educators hope man accused of fentanyl arrest faces harsher punishments

MOBILE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Jackson Lewis, 19, was booked in Mobile County Metro Jail on Tuesday, for allegedly selling fentanyl on Mary G. Montgomery High School grounds.

He was already out on bond for giving fentanyl to his 15-year-old girlfriend, who was found dead due to an overdose, in 2022, and law enforcement officials and educators hope he’ll face stiffer consequences for his offense.

Lewis is booked on distributing and selling drugs to minors. Andy Gatewood, the Director of Safety and Security for Mobile County Public Schools, said his SROs received the tip after several people came forward about Lewis selling the drugs on MGM’s campus.

They’ve been working with the sheriff’s office for over a week.

“The folks involved or folks who had pertinent information felt comfortable with going to my resource officer and giving them that information,” Gatewood explained. “Which I understand was sort of instrumental in and what is occurring in this case.”

Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said Lewis is not a stranger to law enforcement.

“It caused the death of a 15-year-old and now here we are again, you know, almost two years later,” he said.

Lewis is charged with manslaughter for the death of Adrianna Taylor, who died in August 2022, from a fentanyl overdose.

Investigators said he gave her a pill laced with fentanyl.

Burch said he’s upset to see Lewis be able to bond out of jail with a serious charge like manslaughter to re-offend.

“You would think someone who’s been arrested for manslaughter, facing trial on bond, that should have been severe enough consequences,” Burch explained. “Just think maybe, you know, this isn’t the thing for me to do.”

Last year, Alabama lawmakers passed bills targeting the fentanyl crisis. Some of those bills include mandatory sentences and felony charges.

Virginia Guy, the Executive Director of the Drug Education Council, hopes these bills will kick in, and people like Lewis will face harsher consequences.

“Matt Simpson and Chris Pringle, have both passed some very important bills that will protect our public from fentanyl and will allow law enforcement to be able to put some real strong prosecution on the bad guys,” Guy said.

Sheriff Burch said he hopes Lewis stays locked up for good.

“He’s just an absolute criminal,” he reiterated. “And based on his most recent conduct, has no regard for human life whatsoever. And, you know, he is no different than a person who is out here shooting people because, I mean, fentanyl is, you know, it’s Russian roulette. Whether you die from it or not.”

Sheriff Burch said the amount of fentanyl Lewis had on his person at Mary G. Montgomery remains under investigation.

Lewis is due in court on Thursday morning.

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