Sheriff: Lake County man sold deadly combination of heroin, fentanyl

A Park City man is behind bars in the Lake County jail facing charges that he sold a Lake Villa-area woman a deadly dose of heroin laced with fentanyl.

Earl L. Epps, 41, of the 3500 block of Kehm Boulevard, is charged with drug-induced homicide, unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and witness intimidation stemming from an investigation into the death of 47-year-old Tara Garcia.

The investigation began Oct. 4, when Lake County sheriff's deputies responded to a Garcia's home south of Lake Villa for a suspected opioid overdose.

Garcia was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.

Sheriff's police say Garcia purchased what she believed was heroin from Epps shortly before overdosing. Evidence recovered at the scene shows she actually purchased a substance containing a combination of heroin and fentanyl and she overdosed shortly after ingesting it.

An autopsy conducted by the Lake County coroner's office confirmed Garcia ingested fentanyl, according to the sheriff's office.

Epps was arrested Tuesday by the sheriff's Special Investigations Group and later ordered held on $1 million bail pending a Nov. 4 court appearance.

"We again see the tragic effects of the opioid crisis we're fighting here in Lake County and at a national level," Sheriff John Idleburg said in an announcement of the arrest. "There is no doubt addiction is a disease, and we continue to do everything we can for those suffering addictions, while holding drug pushers accountable."

Epps faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of drug-induced homicide.