photo by: Chris Conde/ Journal-World

The Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center is pictured in September 2018.

A Lawrence man was charged Monday in Douglas County District Court with distributing drugs that led to the death of another person by fentanyl overdose.

Randell Mark Smith, 30, faces one count of distribution of a controlled substance causing death, which is the highest level felony, according to charging documents.

The charge is in connection with an incident that occurred on Oct. 8, 2021, when emergency crews responded around 5:45 a.m. to the 1500 block of Pin Oak Drive and found Michael Aron Howell, 32, of Lawrence, dead at the scene.

According to Howell’s autopsy report from the Douglas County Coroner’s Office, he was found face down in his home with possible drugs nearby. Howell’s wife had reported a recent incident prior to his death when he had taken a pill and he would not wake up without vigorous shaking. The autopsy said that his cause of death was fentanyl intoxication. Howell was a father of two, according to his obituary.

Smith is the second person arrested in connection with Howell’s death. Jon P. Beckwith, 28, of Lawrence, was charged in January with one count of felony distribution of a controlled substance leading to death for the same incident. Beckwith is next scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 1 for a status conference between his attorney, Cooper Overstreet, and the court. Beckwith is currently free on a $150,000 own-recognizance bond with GPS monitoring.

Smith was arrested on Sept. 30 in the 2400 block of Lakeview Road by Lawrence police, according to the jail’s booking log. Smith’s next court appearance is on Oct. 11 for a scheduling conference to set a date for a probable cause hearing.

Smith is currently being held at the Douglas County Jail on a $100,000 cash or surety bond.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has declined to release the booking photo of Smith.