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Paterson man held in local woman's overdose

| 22 Sep 2017 | 03:22
    Cleveland D. Spencer
    Cleveland D. Spencer
    Maryann McKinnon, a 33-year-old West Milford native, died in June, the victim of an overdose, police say. A Paterson man has been charged with selling the drugs that authorities say lead to her death. photo provided
    Maryann McKinnon, a 33-year-old West Milford native, died in June, the victim of an overdose, police say. A Paterson man has been charged with selling the drugs that authorities say lead to her death. photo provided

By Carol Reif
WEST MILFORD ‑ A 26-year-old man has been charged in connection with the drug overdose of a local woman this past summer, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and West Milford police Chief Timothy C. Storbeck.
Cleveland D. Spencer of Paterson was arrested Thursday, Sept. 21, in relation to the June 2 death of 33-year-old Maryann McKinnon, a lifelong resident of West Milford and a graduate of West Milford High School.
McKinnon was described by her family and friends as "hard-working, sweet, beautiful, funny" and good-hearted.
Police, who had received a call about a possible overdose at a residence in West Milford, reported that they found McKinnon "unconscious and unresponsive."
Attempts to revive her with Narcan, an opiate antidote, failed and McKinnon was later pronounced dead at Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pompton Plains, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Storbeck.
According to Valdes and Storbeck, Spencer was subsequently accused of selling the drugs "which were ultimately ingested by Ms. McKinnon, resulting in her death."
Spencer was charged with first-degree Strict Liability Drug Induced Death; third-degree Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance Within 1,000 Feet of School Property; third-degree Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance; and third-degree Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance.
Spencer appeared before Superior Court Judge Donna Galluccio on Wednesday, Sept. 27. Currently housed at the Passiac County Jail, he was ordered detained and the case was referred to a grand jury.
The prosecution, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Jason Statuto said, has 90 days from the day of Spencer's arrest to present its case.
McKinnon had worked at Mountain Creek, The Breezy Point Inn on Greenwood Lake and at The Chelsea, an assisted-living facility in West Milford.
She is survived by her mother, Elizabeth McKinnon, her siblings, Denise McKinnon and Joseph Thier, and her niece and nephews, Hayley, Hunter and Ryden. Her father, Thomas McKinnon, predeceased her.
A GoFundMe account set up by Kim Lisa of Waldwick to help McKinnon's family pay for her funeral raised $6,625.
According to a post on the site by McKinnon's cousin, Kim O'Mara Cristo, "Maryann left a lot of friends and many people who truly loved her. Her mom, Betty, was moved to see how much her baby girl was adored by her friends. It is truly comforting during this time."
To visit the site, go to https://www.gofundme.com/funeral-fund-for-maryann-mckinnon
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office is asking anyone with information the case to contact its tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org.