Man sentenced to 10 years in prison for strict liability drug-induced death in Hunterdon County
RARITAN TOWNSHIP, NJ (Hunterdon County) – A Middlesex County man has been sentenced to 10 years in state prison for causing a strict liability drug-induced death in Raritan Township, according to Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson.
On Dec. 10, the Honorable Christopher J. Garrenger, J.S.C. sentenced Leonard R. Contreras, 26, of South Amboy, to a 10-year prison term, subject to the No Early Release Act. Under the terms of his sentence, Contreras will serve eight years and six months before becoming eligible for parole, followed by a five-year term of parole supervision upon release.
Contreras pled guilty on October 18, 2024, to first-degree strict liability drug-induced death. The guilty plea followed an investigation conducted by the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Task Force and the Raritan Township Police Department.
On Oct. 31, 2022, Cayla R. Dunham, 21, of Hedgesville, West Virginia, died from a drug overdose in Raritan Township.
Dunham and her boyfriend had purchased what they believed to be cocaine from Contreras. However, subsequent laboratory analysis revealed that the substance was predominantly fentanyl, a potent and often lethal opioid.
