Man charged with drug-induced homicide of Iowa National Guardsman
By Brian Stanley bstanley@stmedianetwork.com September 1, 2012 8:32PM
Carbajal
Updated: October 3, 2012 6:17AM
It’s not a charge you see everyday. Though some people feel it should be.
On Jan. 16, a 911 call brought Lockport police and paramedics to a residence in the 400 block of East Eighth Street where a small gathering was coming to a tragic end.
Timothy M. Bottorff, 21, of Bellevue, Iowa, was unresponsive and would later be pronounced dead-on-arrival. Someone told police Bottorff had taken 15 pills of cold medicine containing dextromethorphan, which can cause hallucinations.
“There were several witnesses and further investigation showed Bottorff had also ingested what he believed to be cocaine, but turned out to be heroin,” Lt. Dave Draksler said.
Bottorff was a Plainfield Central graduate who was attending the University of Dubuque. He also was an Iowa National Guard Infantry soldier whose obituary mentioned he was close to his family and enjoyed playing computer games.
Many fatal O.D.’s occur when someone is alone, the body discovered hours later by an unsuspecting relative. The coroner must await toxicology results to make it official, but if paramedics find “the needle still in the arm,” there isn’t a lot of mystery.
It’s hard to prove how the victim got the fatal dose. Someone might have seen them with a dealer the day before, but who’s to say they didn’t use all that and go find another fix? My grams and your grams look just alike.
But Draksler said several people identified Luis M. Carbajal, 23, as the man who supplied the drugs for the fatal party.
And after consulting with the coroner and state’s attorney, Lockport police obtained an arrest warrant three weeks ago charging Carbajal with drug-induced homicide.
Legally speaking, a person who unlawfully delivers a controlled substance to another, and any person’s death is caused by the injection, inhalation, absorption, or ingestion of any amount of that controlled substance, commits the Class X felony.
Carbajal was listed in The Herald-News’ outstanding warrants this week, which came as a surprise to Lockport investigators, who know exactly where he’s supposed to be.
On March 20, according to police, Carbajal put on a pair of brass knuckles and approached a 22-year-old man sitting on a bench at Westlake Park in Romeoville. When the victim said he didn’t have any money, Carbajal said he would throw him in the water if he didn’t hand over his iPhone.
He was arrested minutes later after running from the park when police arrived.
Carbajal was found guilty of robbery and sentenced to three years in prison. He’s been in the Stateville Correctional Center since June 26.
Drug-induced homicide carries a minimum 15-year prison sentence. If prosecutors have their chance, police will know where Carbajal is for a long time.
