Athens man charged with felony murder

Published 2:30 pm Friday, August 4, 2023

Gary Amerson, 46, of Athens, has been charged with felony murder and multiple drug charges after the overdose of a female in his home. He is currently being held at the Limestone County Detention Facility on a $110,000 bond. An Aniah’s Law hearing will take place at a later date.

On the evening of July 26, Limestone County Sheriff’s Office deputies and investigators responded to an overdose call at Amerson’s home in the 13000 block of Quinn Road. They arrived and found an unresponsive female in Amerson’s living room.

According to Amerson, he administered a dose of Narcan to the victim, ate a bowl of cereal, and called 911 20 minutes after discovering her unresponsive. Investigator Jesse Gibson and Lieutenant Johnny Morell discovered that Amerson waited more than an hour to call 911.

After obtaining a search warrant for Amerson’s home, probable cause was found to arrest Amerson for drug trafficking (methamphetamine), possession of a pistol by a violent felon, two counts of possession of a controlled substance (Buprenorphine Hydrochloride Pills and Fentanyl), felony possession of drug paraphernalia, distribution of a controlled substance, and felony murder for the death of the victim.

“While we are saddened by this tragic loss of another life to drugs, I’m proud of the response to this crime by my Deputies and Investigators. During this investigation, we learned that this alleged offender was bringing 3 to 4 pounds of meth and up to 32 grams of Fentanyl into our community each week. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, 32 grams of Fentanyl could kill up to 16,000 people. His drug operation is now over. We will continue aggressively seeking and prosecuting these offenders to the fullest extent of the law,” Limestone County Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin said.