Man charged with manslaughter in death of Aaron Douglas

In the three months since Alabama offensive lineman Aaron Douglas’ death, four people had been arrested in connection to the events surrounding the tragedy.

Now, a fifth person has been arrested and, more importantly, directly implicated in Douglas’ death at the age of 21.

The Fernandina Beach (Fla.) Police Department announced Tuesday that 50-year-old Rodney Young Odum has been arrested and charged with manslaughter and sale/delivery of a controlled substance (methadone). It had previously been reported that a toxicology tests taken during Douglas’ autopsy revealed multiple drugs in the player’s system, including methadone.

From the police department’s release:

Police detectives have learned that Douglas obtained transportation to the open house party from a local cab service and that the taxi cab driver, Rodney Young Odum, gave or sold prescription medication, specifically two Methadone pills, to Douglas during the cab ride. The Medical Examiner’s Office has determined that the cause of death was multiple drug toxicity and that the Methadone alone was sufficient enough to cause death, while no other combination would have likely caused death. The Medical Examiner’s toxicology report revealed trace amounts of Carisoprodol, Diazepam, Meprobamate, Nordiazepam, Oxycodone, and Cannabinoids.

The release went on to state that while “the victim clearly shares some responsibility for the reckless behavior that took his life... Mr. Odum reportedly had a reputation as a mobile drug dealer, making it very easy for the victim to locate and ingest the drugs that killed him.”

“Although it is often difficult to pursue criminal charges in cases involving drug overdoses, this case provides us the ability to send a clear message that we intend to prosecute those that openly dispense dangerous drugs in our community whenever possible,” the release read.

Douglas was a freshman All-American at Tennessee in 2009, but decided to leave the program in March of 2010. After spending a year at the JUCO level, Douglas signed with Alabama and was competing for a starting job this past spring.

(Tip O’ the Cap: Dr. Saturday)