A group of friends traveled to Florida for what was supposed to be a fun bachelor party, but things took a tragic turn when three participants were hospitalized and the best man died.
Now one of the friends has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
‘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.’
As Blaze News previously reported, several University of Alabama fraternity brothers who graduated together traveled from Georgia, Alabama, and Connecticut to Santa Rosa Beach for the party in May 2022.
During the celebration, cocaine reportedly was distributed to the partygoers, and one of the bachelor party attendees suffered a medical emergency. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found 26-year-old Thomas Gleason unconscious on the floor. While deputies were administering lifesaving measures to Gleason, three other men at the bachelor party “collapsed and became unresponsive.”
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, “All the men were transported to Sacred Heart, but days later, Thomas Gleason, 26, of Ridgefield, Connecticut, took his last breath in front of his parents when he was taken off life support.”
Bob Gleason — the father of Thomas Gleason — told AL.com, “By the time we got to Charlotte [for a layover], the doctor was like, ‘Do you want us to keep him alive?’ That’s how it was.”
The distraught father said his son “was gone” within 10 minutes after being taken off life support.
The three hospitalized friends spent several days in ICU before recovering.
The groom-to-be reportedly was not one of the victims, and his wedding was called off in the wake of the tragedy. Gleason was set to be the best man. It isn’t clear if the wedding was rescheduled.
Authorities launched an investigation into the tragic death and determined that Gleason died from “a lethal dose of fentanyl.”
Bob Gleason noted, “When the toxicology came back, Tom wasn’t even drunk. He had his wits about him, and so did everybody else. But the fentanyl level was off the charts.”
Investigators determined that the fentanyl had been mixed with cocaine that Tom Gleason had ingested. Gleason’s fraternity brother and fellow party attendee, John “J.D.” Nabors, 26, of Mountain Brook, Alabama, allegedly brought the cocaine to the party and distributed it among his friends.
Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson stated, “This case relied heavily on witness testimony proving Nabors provided the drugs during the party. That single decision altered the course of an immeasurable number of lives.”
On November 15, 2022, a grand jury indicted Nabors on felony charges of distributing a controlled substance causing death. He turned himself in to the Walton County Jail on Nov. 30, 2022. Nabors was released on $25,000 bond.
On December 12, 2024, Judge Jeffrey Lewis sentenced Nabors to eight years in prison for the fatal fentanyl poisoning. His sentence will be followed by five years of probation.
Sheriff Adkinson said, “Our hearts ache for the Gleason family and an entire community who is still in mourning. Let this be a lesson to all of us of the profound losses we face at the hands of drugs and addiction.”
Bob Gleason pointed out, “It wasn’t like these guys went down the street and found a dealer. They trust [Nabors] because he was their fraternity brother. They got it from a trusted friend, and this is what happened.”
Gleason added, “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.”
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Florida crime, Fentanyl, Fentanyl poisoning, Drugs, Bachelor party, Drug overdose, Crime
