Four men overdosed at deadly bachelor party, Florida cops say. Friend is prison-bound

An Alabama man is headed to prison after he was convicted of supplying drugs that killed one friend and hospitalized three others at a disastrous Florida bachelor party, investigators say.

John Nabors, 28, was sentenced to eight years on felony charges of distributing a controlled substance causing death, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said in a Dec. 18 news release.

“This case relied heavily on witness testimony proving Nabors provided the drugs during the party,” Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson said. “That single decision altered the course of an immeasurable number of lives.”

The drugs contained toxic levels of fentanyl, officials said.

The party happened May 14, 2022, at a home in Santa Rosa Beach, about a 65-mile drive east from Pensacola.

“When deputies arrived, they discovered a man lying on the ground unconscious. While trying to take life-saving measures, three more men collapsed and became unresponsive,” the sheriff’s office said.

“All the men were transported to (a hospital), but days later, Thomas Gleason ... took his last breath in front of his parents when he was taken off life support.”

Detectives discovered the “group of friends” had traveled from three states to celebrate at a bachelor party.

An investigation revealed Gleason died from “a lethal dose of fentanyl which was found in narcotics directly provided by John Nabors,” the sheriff’s office said.

Nabors was indicted on Nov. 15, 2022, and turned himself in two weeks later, officials said.

His sentence will be followed by five years of probation.

Thomas Gleason’s father, Bob Gleason, said the family’s pain was unimaginable in his victim impact statement.

“Mr. Nabors’ actions took Tom’s life and in doing so, tattooed an indelible sadness on the hearts of myself, my wife, our daughter, and the more than 500 people who attended Tom’s funeral,” Gleason said.

This story was originally published December 19, 2024 at 7:55 AM with the headline "Four men overdosed at deadly bachelor party, Florida cops say. Friend is prison-bound."