Waterloo father died from opioid overdose. A family friend is charged in his death
Like so many others who overdosed on opioids, Clayton Augustine’s addiction began with a doctor’s prescription to manage pain.
Now a family friend may be held accountable for his death.
Derek A. Dillon, 34, of the 200 block of Warnock Street, Waterloo, has been charged in Monroe County with three felonies, including one count of drug-induced homicide. States Attorney Lucas Liefer says Dillon knowingly delivered fentanyl to Augustine, 27, also of Waterloo, who ingested the drug and died on Oct. 20.
Dillon also was charged with possession of less than 5 grams of methamphetamine and unlawful possession of a controlled substance. He was arraigned Wednesday and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 8.
Clayton Augustine’s mother, Debbie Augustine, remembers her son as “handsome” and “a really good kid, brother, father and fiance.”
“The mood in the house is very somber. Everybody misses him,” she said. “He was the lively one in the house. He just had a presence about him. It’s hard to put into words.”
Clayton Augustine, a 2013 graduate of Waterloo High School, was engaged to marry Sarah Lamonica, with whom he has an 18-month-old son, Nolan. Those two closest survivors have made the loss a little more bearable for the others left behind.
“If it wasn’t for his son, I don’t know how we would be getting through the grieving process. He has brought us so much joy,” Debbie Augustine said. “It would be a hundred times harder if we didn’t have that little baby.”
How addiction happens
In 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control attributed 64,000 deaths to synthetic opioids, including illegally manufactured fentanyl. There were more than 100,000 deaths with data ending May 31, 2021, the CDC reports.
The problem has not evaded southern Illinois, Liefer said.
“I hate getting these calls from the coroner. That’s why I try to be as proactive as I can in prosecuting these cases,” he said.
Debbie Augustine said her son became addicted to drugs after he suffered serious head injuries during a polar plunge event in Carbondale.
“Somebody beat him up real bad. They kept kicking him,” she said. “His injuries were so bad he was airlifted to (Saint Louis University Hospital) where they kept him for several days in the Intensive Care Unit.”
Doctors prescribed medicine to manage his pain “and from there he went to the street for drugs,” Augustine said. “This is, a lot of times, how drug addiction starts. This is how it started with Clayton.”
Four trips to drug rehab gave the family hope for Clayton’s recovery. An extended family that includes a brother, a grandmother and a “host of aunts, uncles and friends” stood by to support him in his struggle, his mother said.
“He definitely had a lot of support,” said Augustine. “We were all there as a family supporting him.”
But friends – even those who knew Clayton was fighting to beat his addiction – continued to supply drugs, his mother said. Now she and the rest of Clayton’s family want the person accused of providing the fatal dose to be held accountable.
“(Dillon) is a family friend of ours. He knew Clayton was trying to get clean,” she said. “He should be accountable for his actions, which is supplying him with drugs. Our son was working steadily and providing insurance for his son. He was looking forward to marrying the love of his life.”
A common tale
Michael Regh, resident agent in charge with the DEA office in Fairview Heights, says Clayton Augustine’s story is an increasingly common one. The 32-year law enforcement veteran says fentanyl-related deaths are at the highest level he’s seen in his career.
“We are starting to see a lot of fentanyl mixed with other drugs, too, that people are overdosing from,” he said. “The two drugs we combat most here are fentanyl and crystal meth.”
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid often prescribed to relieve pain. It is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more powerful than heroin.
In Madison County alone, Regh said, there were 116 overdose deaths in Madison County in 2021, 82 of which were from opioids, mostly fentanyl.
“We are still seeing a lot of raw fentanyl, capsules or buttons sold on the streets,” he said. “I think what has kind of changed is we don’t see much real heroin. What we see is people wanting fentanyl. You used to have heroin addicts who thought they were getting heroin, but they were sold fentanyl. Now, we see people who are seeking out fentanyl.”
Counterfeit medications have created an additional risk, especially for those who get addicted to pain relievers and seek cheaper pills when the prescription renewals run out.
Oftentimes, Regh said, toxicology reports show a mix of drugs in the systems of people who overdose. What an addict may think is the same fentanyl they once were able to get from their local pharmacist may instead be a deadly cocktail of drugs.
“People buying anything on the street don’t know what they’re buying. There is no quality control when you buy drugs off the streets,” Regh said. “... They might think they’re buying prescription drugs that are relatively safe, but they don’t know it could be counterfeit.
“You could think you’re buying crystal or coke, but it could be fentanyl mixed in there. You’re taking a chance of getting a hot load and terminating your life.”
Nothing positive
The opioid epidemic impacts men and women of all ages. Of the 116 opioid-related deaths last year in Madison County:
2 overdose victims were under the age of 20
23 were in their 20s
31 were in their 30s
27 were in their 40s
23 were in their 50s
7 were in their 60s
3 were in their 70s
65% were females
105 were white
11 were black
“I don’t know how anybody could take the chance of buying drugs in the street right now because it’s Russian Roulette. It amazes me,” Rehg said. “... Nothing positive is ever going to come out of this. Most likely you are going to end up in prison or dead.”
Clayton Augustine’s family knows this first-hand.
“He was in Florida in September with his fiance and son. She had picked out her wedding dress and was looking forward to getting married,” his mother said. “In October, he was dead. It’s so unreal and unimaginable.”
This story was originally published February 24, 2022 at 7:00 AM.