Suspected Tahoe fentanyl dealer arrested after 4 die at home, FBI says

By CNN Newsource

Published April 29, 2025 10:45 AM

By Daniel Macht & Andres Valle

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, California (KCRA) — The FBI arrested a 31-year-old man accused of providing the fentanyl that led to the poisoning deaths of four people at a South Lake Tahoe home in February 2024.

Timothy Austin Pannell, of South Lake Tahoe, was arrested on a federal complaint for alleged distribution of fentanyl, a felony, the FBI said.

“We’re very appreciative that the federal government was able to step in and hopefully hold this guy accountable and commensurate with the loss of four lives,” said Vern Pierson, the District Attorney for El Dorado County.

Pannell, known as “Frog,” allegedly represented the deadly drug as cocaine when selling it to two men at a church parking lot in South Lake Tahoe on Feb. 11, 2024, according to the FBI.

According to Pierson, they were able to convict Pannell last year for a different drug charge, but he was released early.

“He was released after a little over a year on a three-year sentence. And fortunately, working with the United States attorney and the FBI, we were able to get him rearrested and taken into custody,” said Pierson.

The DA believes Pierson could get a much longer sentence if convicted, anywhere from 20 years or more in prison.

Three men and one woman were found dead in a home in the 500 block of Roger Avenue the next day after authorities responded to a report of multiple drug overdoses. A fifth person survived the poisoning.

South Lake Tahoe police described a “horrific scene” at the time.

The four people were identified as:

– Abraham Lemus, 32, of South Lake Tahoe – Adam Joy, 35, of South Lake Tahoe – Keely Pereira, 33, of South Lake Tahoe – Clifford Joy, 37, of Douglas County, Nevada

The arrest was the result of cooperation between the FBI’s Sacramento Field Office, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, El Dorado County Probation, and El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.

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