On November 14, 2019, Elizabeth Redding, age 28, of West Ocean City, Maryland, was sentenced to 20 years’ incarceration with all but 10 years suspended, after having been convicted of distribution of fentanyl in the Worcester County Circuit Court. This conviction also resulted in a violation of Redding’s probation in another case, for which she was sentenced by the Honorable Beau H. Oglesby to serve an additional 3 years’ incarceration consecutively. Redding will be on 5 years of supervised probation upon her release from the Division of Correction.
The distribution charges stem from an overdose report received by the Criminal Enforcement Team of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office on March 21, 2019. Police were called to Redding’s home in West Ocean City where they found a male victim unresponsive. The victim was immediately transported to Atlantic General Hospital where he was pronounced deceased on March 23, 2019. An autopsy was conducted which determined the cause of death to be fentanyl intoxication. While still on scene, investigators spoke with Redding who advised that the victim was her boyfriend. She stated they had both laid down to take a nap and when she awoke, she found him unresponsive.
On May 24, 2019, investigators uncovered a phone call made by Redding, who at the time was incarcerated at the Worcester County Detention Center on a separate matter. In that phone call, Redding tells a friend that on the date of the overdose, she had actually gone looking through her house for drugs to use. She states that she found 3 "caps" in her sister’s room and that she split a "cap" with her boyfriend, causing her boyfriend’s death. She tells her friend that she didn’t tell the truth at the time because police were present and she didn’t want to be charged. Subsequently, police charged Redding with distribution of fentanyl.
Worcester County State’s Attorney Kris Heiser commended the Criminal Enforcement Team and Detective Lewis for their commitment to holding drug dealers accountable and thanked Assistant State’s Attorney Joaquin Cabrera for ensuring justice was served.
