BROOKSVILLE, Fla – A Pasco County man has been charged in the fentanyl death of a Brooksville man.
On June 30, 2023, at 10:26 a.m., deputies with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence on Sunshine Grove Road in Brooksville in reference to a death investigation.
Deputies say Robert Scott Fowler was found by a family member lying on the bedroom floor unresponsive. Emergency personnel from Hernando County Fire & Rescue responded and confirmed Fowler was deceased.
Family members said Fowler had a previous drug history.
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Family members told investigators that Fowler was under house arrest following his most recent court date on June 28, 2023. Fowler was to remain under house arrest for six months for failing to register as a sexual offender.
When searching Fowler’s bedroom, deputies located various drug paraphernalia.
Fowler’s body was transported to the District 5 Medical Examiner’s Office in Leesburg for an autopsy to determine his cause of death.
On October 19, 2023, the results of the autopsy report confirmed Fowler died due to fentanyl intoxication. The report also indicated fentanyl was detected in Fowler’s blood.
Detectives made contact with Fowler’s girlfriend who said Fowler purchased his drugs from a man in Pasco County named Aaron Christian Clark. She told detectives that she located a text message on Fowler’s phone indicating Clark sold drugs to Fowler a day before his death.
Detectives were able to review Fowler’s cell phone data and located the text messages between Fowler and Clark about the sale and delivery of fentanyl to Fowler’s home.
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On November 16, detectives met with Clark to discuss Fowler’s death.
Initially, Clark told detectives he provided Fowler with methamphetamine, not fentanyl.
When confronted with the text messages showing Fowler asking for fentanyl, Clark told detectives he could not remember what drug he gave to Fowler, but believed it was methamphetamine. The results of the autopsy showed no signs of methamphetamine in Fowler’s system, deputies say.
Further investigation confirmed Clark was in the area of Fowler’s residence on June 29, 2023, the day before Fowler was found deceased.
As a result of the investigation, a warrant was issued for Clark’s arrest.
On January 2, 2024, deputies with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office arrested Clark at his home in Hudson on the Hernando County warrant.
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Clark was then transported to the Hernando County Detention Center where he was booked into the facility on charges of First-Degree Murder — Distribution of Fentanyl and Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device.
Clark is being held on a no-bond status. His next court date is set for 1:30 p.m. on Febuary 8, 2024, at the Hernando County Courthouse.
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