CHURCH HILL, TN – The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reports that an investigation by the Church Hill Police Department and the TBI – Drug Related Death Task Force, with assistance from the Kingsport Police Department, has resulted in the indictment of a Kingsport man in connection to an overdose death.

TBI task force agents joined detectives with the Church Hill Police Department in investigating the death of James “Jimmy” Taylor Barham, III (DOB: 05/02/1964), after he was found deceased at his home along West Main Boulevard in Church Hill on March 25, 2022. His death was determined to be caused by the toxic effects of fentanyl, alprazolam, and ethanol. During the course of the investigation, authorities determined that William Howard White (DOB: 06/10/89) was involved in distributing the fentanyl that caused Barham’s death.

On June 3rd, the Hawkins County Grand Jury returned indictments charging White with one count of Second Degree Murder, one count of Sale of Fentanyl, and one count of Delivery of Fentanyl. Monday, June 10, 2024, White was arrested and booked into the Hawkins County Jail on a $150,000 bond.  

The TBI Upper East Drug Related Death Task Force (DRDTF) is a collaboration with Sullivan County, Washington County, and Carter County law enforcement agencies, such as the Johnson City Police Department, along with the Offices of the 1st and 2nd Judicial District Attorney Generals. The Task Force operates under the umbrella of the Appalachian High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AHIDTA), based out of London, KY, which provides supplemental funding, training, equipment, assistance, and support to the Task Force. The Task Force also works with drug awareness and rehabilitation agencies in the affected counties with the goal of helping prevent the use of illegal drugs, overdoses, and drug-related deaths. The mission of the Task Force is to investigate drug overdoses, both fatal and non-fatal, with the objective of prosecuting the responsible drug sources and drug trafficking organizations.