The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office announced the county’s first arrest for fentanyl-induced homicide.
The sheriff’s office said 35-year-old Thomas Justin Barwick was arrested on Tuesday.
He also received the following charges following a previous arrest on Dec. 3:
- Distributing methamphetamine
- Trafficking fentanyl between 4 and 14 grams
- Manufacturing, distributing or possessing Schedule I, Schedule II and LSD narcotics
- Possession of a weapon during a violent crime
- Possession or sale of a stolen pistol
- Possession, concealment, sale or distribution of a stolen vehicle valued at less than $2,000
- Possession of other controlled Schedule I-IV substances
The sheriff’s office said Barwick’s home was searched on Dec. 3. It was later discovered that 62-year-old William Karl Joseph Myers died after taking drugs that he reportedly obtained from Barwick.
Barwick is the first person charged with fentanyl-induced homicide in Sumter County after the South Carolina legislature passed a bill near the end of the 2025 session, which allows suspects to be charged with homicide if they are suspected of supplying drugs that directly led to another person’s death.
“We are grateful for our legislature giving us this tool to use in the war on drugs in Sumter County. To my knowledge, I believe we are the first agency to make such a charge under this new law. We look forward to working with prosecutors as we seek justice,” Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said in a statement.
Barwick is still awaiting a bond hearing for his homicide charge. Public court records show he did receive a $137,000 surety bond for his other drug charges.
As of Tuesday, he is being held at the Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center.