A Los Angeles jury found Kaelen Jacobkeali Wendel—a 32-year-old Lompoc resident and northern Santa Barbara County jail inmate—guilty of distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death and serious injury of two inmates, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
According to court documents, Wendel smuggled fentanyl into the North County Jail’s D unit on Oct. 19, 2022, and handed it to his co-defendant, 36-year-old Lompoc resident Michael Villapania. Villapania then sold the fentanyl to an inmate identified as “J.V.” in court documents, who then shared it with another inmate identified as “E.E.”
At 1:45 a.m. on Oct. 20, 2022, an inmate in J.V.’s cell alerted custody deputies that an inmate needed help, where a deputy saw E.E. bleeding from the mouth, according to court documents. The deputy radioed for help and told other inmates to go to the yard.
“As the inmates began to leave, J.V. did not respond. Another deputy saw this, tried to wake J.V., and unsuccessfully tried to find a pulse,” according to the memorandum. “Deputies and nurses began administering multiple doses of Narcan and performing CPR on both inmates. They revived J.V. but could not save E.E.”
Wendel was found guilty of one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and serious bodily injury—a felony that carries a 20-years-to-life prison sentence—and is scheduled for sentencing on June 21, according to the Department of Justice. Villapania pleaded guilty on Feb. 1 to one count of distribution of fentanyl and his sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 7, where he will face up to 20 years in federal prison.
This is one of several federal cases targeting fentanyl dealers who, in all but one case, allegedly sold fentanyl and fake pills containing fentanyl that resulted in the death of at least one victim, according to a May 2023 statement from the Sheriff’s Office that announced the Department of Justice indictment.
“It’s no secret that drug overdoses—especially from fentanyl—are a serious problem in this country,” said Ciaran McEvoy, the public information officer for the Central District of California’s U.S. Attorney’s Office. “In recent years, because of the increase in deaths resulting from fentanyl, law enforcement has become more active in utilizing federal law that carries a 20-year mandatory minimum prison sentence for distributing drugs that result in overdose deaths to victims.”
In neighboring SLO County, the District Attorney’s office is prosecuting a fentanyl overdose death that happened at the county’s safe parking site as a homicide. It’s the second time SLO County filed murder charges for an overdose death, according to reporting from the Sun’s sister paper, New Times.
Both counties have seen substantial increases in overdose deaths. Santa Barbara County had 168 overdose deaths in 2022, compared to 133 overdose deaths in 2021, according to the Sheriff’s Office. While 2022 data was not available, SLO County saw a 40 percent increase in overdose deaths between 2021 and 2020 (88 to 123 overdose deaths), according to the SLO County Behavioral Health Department.
The Sun reached out to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Agency Los Angeles Division for comment. The DEA said in an email that it couldn’t issue a response before the Sun’s press time. The Sheriff’s Office said it was still gathering information for a statement as of press time.
