Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Aug. 28, 2025 – State prosecutors nolle prossed the charges for a man accused of supplying fentanyl that resulted in an inmate’s death at the Craighead County Detention Center.
In 2024, the state of Arkansas charged Lacey Justin Barber with aggravated death by delivery (fentanyl) and furnishing possessing delivering using prohibited articles after police said he supplied fentanyl to Craighead County Detention Center inmate Daniel Robertson, resulting in his death.
Before this, Barber had been charged with simultaneous possession, possession of firearm by certain persons, possession of felony drug paraphernalia, possession of misdemeanor drug paraphernalia, and possession of Schedule VI with purpose to deliver. A police report from the Jonesboro Police Department said he’d been arrested during a traffic stop probation search by the Drug Task Force.
In an order of nolle prosequi dated Aug. 28, Second Judicial prosecuting attorney Sonia Hagood ordered that all charges be nolle prossed based on a federal indictment. An order of nolle prosequi means prosecutors do not wish to prosecute a pending criminal case against a defendant at the time.
“This decision was made in coordination with our federal law enforcement partners, who have already secured a federal indictment,” Hagood said in a Facebook post. “This is common practice when federal prosecution is more appropriate. It avoids duplicative effort and ensures justice is served through the most effective avenue.”
K8 News reports that Barber’s federal trial for distributing fentanyl resulting in death is set to begin July 28, 2026.
