Texas Man Arrested On Drug Charge In Jacobsen Death

By Andrew Gorosko

Following his June 7 court arraignment, a Texas man was being held this week at Bridgeport Correctional Center on $220,000 bail on a pending drug charge in connection with the untimely death of Danielle Jacobsen, 17, of Newtown.

On June 7 Monroe police arrested Quentin Ham, 22, of North Richland Hills, Texas, and formerly of Newtown, lodging a charge of distribution of a hallucinogenic substance.

It was a hallucinogenic drug that Mr Ham allegedly gave to Ms Jacobsen which allegedly led to her untimely death. Ms Jacobsen’s body was found floating in a small pond near the Northbrook Condominiums housing complex on Northbrook Drive, off Route 25 in Monroe, on the morning of May 30.

Ms Jacobsen’s wake and funeral were held this week at St Rose of Lima Church in Newtown. Ms Jacobsen, a Newtown High School senior, had been scheduled to graduate with the Class of 2010 next week.

Monroe police Lieutenant Brian McCauley said in a statement, “The [police] investigation determined that prior to her death, Danielle Jacobsen was provided with a hallucinogenic substance known as DMT at a gathering in a condominium near the pond where her body was found. It was further determined that Quentin Ham … was the person who distributed the DMT to those individuals at the condominium.”

The drug DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine) is a potent hallucinogen and is classified as an illegal drug by the US Controlled Substances Act of 1970.

Monroe police are continuing their investigation into Ms Jacobsen’s death and more charges may be forthcoming, the lieutenant said.

An autopsy was performed on Ms Jacobsen’s remains at the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner on May 31. The results of that autopsy, including the findings of toxicological tests, are pending.

Lt McCauley said the police investigation indicated that Mr Ham had transported the DMT from Texas and had distributed it at the condominium gathering.

On May 30, Newtown police advised Monroe police that Ms Jacobsen, of Tunnel Road, had been reported missing to Newtown police.

Ms Jacobsen’s last known location had been small gathering at 1 Still Meadow Circle, within the condo complex.

While searching the area, Ms Jacobsen’s body was found in a pond about 150 yards away from that condo, Lt McCauley said.

Monroe police then began an investigation into what they characterized as Ms Jacobsen’s “untimely death.”

On the evening of May 30, Newtown police arrested Mr Ham on multiple charges following an incident in the area near Newtown Shopping Village on Queen Street. Police said they had responded to a report that the allegedly suicidal Mr Ham was nearby.

Police located Mr Ham in a field between the shopping center and Trinity Episcopal Church, after which they charged Mr Ham, who had allegedly threatened suicide, with carrying a pistol without a permit, second-degree reckless endangerment, and second-degree breach of peace. Those charges are pending.

Mr Ham allegedly was distraught over Ms Jacobsen’s death.

Police said they lodged the reckless endangerment charge because Mr Ham for a time had left a pistol and some ammunition unattended in a place where a passerby could have gotten access to the weapon and bullets.

Mr Ham has a police record stemming from incidents that occurred in Newtown in the past. The arrests in the those cases spanned the period from February 2006 to May 2008. The cases resulted in convictions against Mr Ham for driving under the influence, driving under suspension, improper use of a marker-license-registration, and second-degree criminal mischief, according to the Connecticut Judicial Branch.

In a statement this week, Francesca Jacobsen, the mother of Danielle Jacobsen, said of her late daughter’s alleged use of the drug, “It’s an extreme surprise. It was not something my daughter would have done on her own. I don’t know how that would happen.”

In a statement made after Mr Ham’s arrest, the Jacobsen family said, “On or about May 29th, just two weeks before her graduation, Danielle’s life was tragically cut short by a chain of events which has shocked and devastated the entire family.

“While we know nothing will bring Danielle back to us, we want to publicly thank the Monroe Police Department, the Newtown Police Department, the Trumbull Police Department, the Connecticut State Police, the Offices of the State’s Attorney and State Medical Examiner, and all of the men and women involved in the investigation in helping to bring closure to our family,” it adds.

The statement continues, “We also wish to express our thanks and gratitude for all the loving support we have received from our friends, neighbors and the community throughout the past week. No words can express our pain and sorrow, and how much Danielle forever will be missed.”