Fullerton : Overdose Victim’s Roommate Arrested

The roommate of a Fullerton man who died Saturday after injecting himself with cocaine is being held in the UCI Medical Center jail ward on suspicion of possessing three ounces of the drug, police said.

Authorities said James Dean Jackson, 26, apparently went into a seizure after injecting himself with cocaine in a converted garage behind his mother’s home in the 4200 block of West Ash Street.

Jackson’s mother called paramedics at about 7:30 a.m. They took him to Martin Luther Hospital Medical Center in Anaheim. A spokeswoman there said he died at about 4 p.m. Saturday. An autopsy showed that Jackson had injected himself with cocaine, but he also had a lacerated liver that could have been caused when his roommate, Charles Robert Wharton, 23, and an unidentified man attempted to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, said Police Sgt. Bud Lathrop.

“At this point we don’t know if he died of the drug or the CPR attempt,” Lathrop said.

Three ounces of cocaine were found in the residence and Wharton was arrested on suspicion of possession of narcotics with intent to sell. Wharton was taken to the UCI jail ward because he was suffering from cuts and bruises that investigators said might have been caused by his attempts to restrain Jackson during his seizure. Wharton’s bail was set at $2,500.

Wharton has refused to tell investigators what happened, Lathrop said.