A heroin overdose Wednesday in Edward resulted in the arrest of a Bayboro man who sold the drug to the victim.

Jermaine Gibbs, 29, of N.C. Highway 99, Bayboro, was slapped with a variety of charges after leading law enforcement on a chase into another county. According to a press release from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Drug Unit, the overdose was called in to the 911 communications center, and when drug unit investigators arrived at the Big Hill Road residence with EMS personnel, they learned the person who’d allegedly sold the drug was still in the Edward area.

“He was still hanging out in the area waiting for rescue to get out of the way; law enforcement to get out of the way,” said Lt. Russell Davenport, head of the drug unit. “We spotted him, stopped him, and then he led us on a chase all the way down into Craven County.”

Davenport said Gibbs led investigators on a 10-mile chase, while throwing heroin and plastic bags out of the window of the gold Nissan Altima he was driving. He said the drugs were recovered during the chase.

“We were all in the area, so the cars that weren’t the first cars chasing him would stop and get it,” Davenport said.

Investigators also found digital scales and other packaging material inside the Nissan Altima, the press release stated.

Gibbs was charged with possession with intent to sell, deliver and manufacture heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while license revoked, flee to elude arrest and reckless driving to endanger, and was confined in the Beaufort County Detention Center under a $27,000 bond.

EMS transported the overdose victim to Vidant Beaufort Hospital; the victim was reported to be in stable condition.

Davenport said it’s not unheard of for the seller of a drug to be charged with murder if the user of that drug overdoses and dies.

“People have been (charged) in the past — there’s been other counties that’ve done it,” Davenport said. “If we can get the supplier who’s putting the poison on the street, that’s who we want to get.”