Reading man charged in fentanyl overdose death

A Reading man has been charged in the overdose death last year of a Spring Township resident who police said had heroin laced with fentanyl in his home.

Jose R. Reyes, 56, of the 300 block of North Sixth Street, was charged Monday with drug delivery resulting in death, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, conspiracy with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communication facility and other related charges in the Sept. 28 death of 47-year-old Keith J. Miller.

As of Tuesday night, police had yet to take Reyes into custody and were searching for him.

According to an affidavit of probable cause:

Police were dispatched to the 400 block of Springside Drive East for a welfare check requested by Miller’s family after they had not heard from him for two days.

Officers entered the home and found Miller dead on the living room floor. Several empty bags suspected of containing heroin, a line of heroin and a full bag of heroin was found near Miller’s body. He was pronounced dead by the Berks County coroner at 11:19 a.m.

Miller’s cellphone was also discovered and contained a “drug related text message conversation” and multiple phone calls made on Sept. 25 and 26 to a number later determined to belong to Reyes.

Investigators used Miller’s phone to contact the suspect to attempt to buy additional heroin. A price was agreed on, and the suspect wrote back that he would be arriving shortly at Miller’s apartment to get the money.

When Reyes arrived, he was detained by police and transported to the Spring Township Police Department to be interviewed.

Reyes admitted he was responding to Miller’s apartment to sell him heroin when he was apprehended and that he had sold him heroin “multiple times,” including in the days leading up to Miller’s death.

Investigators confiscated Reyes’s cellphone and downloaded communications made to Miller.

An autopsy conducted on Sept. 29 by Dr. Neil Hoffman determined Miller died from acute toxicity by heroin and fentanyl.

Tests of the heroin recovered in Miller’s apartment showed it also contained fentanyl.

Contact Michael Yoder: 610-371-5033 or myoder@readingeagle.com.