SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A St. Cloud man was arrested on Tuesday months after a fatal overdose at a home in Seminole County, according to the sheriff’s office.
In an arrest warrant, deputies said they arrived at a home along Anna Drive back on Jan. 2 after getting a report about a medical emergency.
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Upon arrival, they learned that a man — identified as Tristan Buttrum — had been found dead shortly after getting into a fight with his girlfriend.
The girlfriend lived in the home with the boyfriend and her grandfather, and after leaving the house in the aftermath of the fight, she later asked her grandfather to check on Buttrum to make sure he was alright, deputies said.
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The grandfather found Buttrum in his bed, “visibly pale with blood running out of his nose,” the warrant states.
According to investigators, Buttrum had suffered an injury a few years prior, and he was prescribed an opioid-based medication. However, he had reportedly struggled with drug abuse since then, the warrant notes.
Detectives said they learned that Buttrum had been taking fake Percocet, which is commonly pressed with fentanyl when “sold on the street.” His cause of death was later chalked up to fentanyl poisoning.
Cell phone messages show that Buttrum had been messaging a contact nicknamed “Dude” about drug deals involving Alprazolam.
Investigators said they tracked the messages to the home of Michael Dandorf, who lives in Winter Springs. A search warrant was enacted at Dandorf’s home, and he was later taken into custody on several drug-related charges.
According to detectives, Dandorf admitted that he had flown to California to purchase thousands of dollars worth of pressed fentanyl pills.
Following a months-long investigation, detectives said they determined that Dandorf had met with Vicente Diaz, 22, for the purchase of the pills.
As a result, Diaz was taken into custody and faces a charge of first-degree murder by unlawful distribution of a controlled substance. He is held on no bond.
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