Novato Advance
After several months of investigation, the Novato Police Department arrested Lucas Novick on Monday, Dec. 12, for involvement in the fentanyl overdose deaths of two men in a Novato residence in August.
Novick, 26 of San Rafael was booked into jail on two counts of Involuntary Manslaughter and two counts of Furnishing Narcotics.
The situation began at about 1:45 p.m. on Aug.16 when the Novato Police Department responded to a report of two men who were deceased at a residence on Cambridge Street in Novato. With assistance from the Marin County Coroner’s Office, the deceased men were identified as a 29-year-old Woodacre resident and a 68-year-old Novato resident. The Coroner’s Office assumed the investigation and found the cause of death for both men was related to a drug overdose.
Officers initially found evidence that a third individual had been at the residence the night before. NPD officers contacted at the time. He admitted to being at the residence the night prior. Novick said he performed CPR that night, but eventually left both men inside the residence. When he returned the following day, he discovered they were both deceased. Between statements and evidence found at the scene, police said in a press release that it appeared Novick had a larger role in this case.
The two men died as a result of an overdose of a combination of illegal drugs, including fentanyl. Fentanyl is an opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin, and 100 times stronger than morphine. Fentanyl-related overdoses are linked to illicitly manufactured fentanyl, which is distributed through illegal drug markets for its heroin-like effect. It is often added to other drugs because of its extreme potency, which makes drugs cheaper and more powerful, addictive, and dangerous.
NPD Detectives investigated the two deaths more in depth. They discovered that illegal narcotics were obtained by Novick and he gave them to party attendees during a separate gathering a day prior, on Aug. 15. During that party, two attendees also overdosed as a result, but fortunately survived.
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