Fort Duchesne Man Sentenced After Supplying Fentanyl That Killed Woman

A Uintah County man was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison after distributing fentanyl that caused the death of another individual. The press release from the Department of Justice states that the sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Howard C. Nielson Jr., comes after 50-year-old Jerod Arthur Young, of Fort Duchesne, pleaded guilty on March 26, 2026, to distribution of fentanyl. The release states that according to court documents and statements made at Young’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, on November 15, 2023, in Fort Duchesne, Young intentionally sold fentanyl to a victim for profit, which resulted in her death. During the investigation, law enforcement determined from the victim’s phone that she communicated with Young and engaged in a financial transaction with him around the time of her death. The pill near her body when she was found deceased tested positive for fentanyl, and a medical examiner determined that the cause of the victim’s death was fentanyl toxicity. As stated in court documents, Young voluntarily called law enforcement while in treatment and stated he believed he was the person that sold the victim the pills that killed her. Young has a criminal history of drug trafficking convictions (1997, 2015, 2023), the latter of which was pending, and he was on pretrial release when he sold deadly fentanyl to the victim. “No measure of justice can erase the loss of a life,” shares U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak for the District of Utah. “However, we hope Young’s lengthy prison sentence sends a strong message to those who push dangerous drugs into our communities, and that it offers the victim’s family a starting point for healing after such a tragic loss.” Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls says the FBI “will not lose sight of the human cost of this epidemic and will work with our partners to bring those who traffic this poison into our communities to justice.” The case was investigated by the Vernal Resident Agency of the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.