Qualin A. Davis

A Butler County Prison inmate charged in connection with the overdose death of a fellow inmate saw those charges advance to the county Common Pleas Court following a preliminary hearing Monday, Feb. 12.

Qualin A. Davis, 41, and two other inmates were charged with possessing contraband in relation to the Nov. 22 death of Alec Miller, 23, in his prison cell.

Miller’s cause of death was listed as fentanyl poisoning, according to a document from the Butler County Coroner’s office. His manner of death was listed as undetermined.

District Judge William Fullerton heard testimony Monday in Butler from two county detectives before ruling to move the charges forward.

Court documents indicate Davis, who was housed alone in the cell next to Miller’s, had smuggled 16.32 grams of fentanyl into the jail when he was processed Nov. 19 — two days after a jury found Miller guilty of first-degree murder for shooting and killing Maximillian W. Halterman, 23, in March 2019.

Davis faces felony charges of drug delivery resulting in death, five counts of contraband and four counts of drug sales. He was charged alongside Miller’s cellmate, William J. Derrick, 42, and inmate Robert Bowser II, 23.

Chief detective Tim Fennell testified Monday to searching the cells of Miller and Davis following Miller’s death on Nov. 22.

In Davis’ cell, detectives found two rolled pieces of paper, a bag containing smaller bags of a brown substance and a plastic bag of 109 suspected fentanyl pills.

In Miller and Derrick’s cell, detectives said they found a rolled piece of paper and a brown substance in a black sock.

The items tested positive for fentanyl, Fennell said, and what was found in Davis’ cell triggered his memory.

Fennell said two days before Miller’s death, Davis was found in possession of a blue pill and a baggie containing a brown substance during an intake search at the prison.

County detective John Hertzog said he and Fennell interviewed Davis on Nov. 22 about the narcotics. He said Davis disclosed hiding the drugs by swallowing them and placing them in his rectum.

Video footage from the jail’s recreation time Nov. 21 was shown during the hearing and narrated by Hertzog. He said the footage showed Derrick entering Davis’ cell for 10 to 15 seconds, and later, an interaction between Davis and Miller.

Hertzog said Davis handed Miller some papers, which he looks over then gets down on one knee and puts something in his right sock.

“In my experience, training and knowledge, that’s a contraband exchange,” Hertzog said. “I had a similar case like this last year where items were secreted in a sock.”

In footage from an hour later, Hertzog said Davis, Miller and Derrick were locked in their cells while Bowser was taking recreational time.

The footage showed Bowser visiting Davis’ cell door several times, though the door is closed, which detectives said could indicate an exchange of contraband using a piece of paper.

That paper was later found in Bowser’s cell by prison staff, Fennell said, and tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.

Following testimony, defense attorney Patrick Casey asked that Davis be placed in a secure addiction treatment facility for a period of time and returned to prison.

Fullerton said the request could be brought before the Common Pleas Court, and held Davis’ charges.

Derrick’s preliminary hearing was also scheduled to take place Monday, but was continued to a later date.