Whatcom County man pleads not guilty to selling fentanyl that led to death
A Whatcom County man pleaded not guilty Thursday in federal court in Seattle to providing the fentanyl that led to a Lummi Nation woman’s fatal overdose last year.
Officers with the Lummi Nation Police Department arrested Stephan Charlot, 29, on June 21, 2025. He was charged in tribal court with multiple offenses, including homicide. His case was transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in February.
A grand jury indicted Charlot on Feb. 4 for distribution of a controlled substance.
What happened?
Court records obtained by The Bellingham Herald show that police were called to a Bellingham residence within the boundaries of the Lummi Nation reservation on May 25, 2025. Officers found a woman unresponsive in her bedroom. First responders attempted to revive her, but she was pronounced dead at 1:21 a.m.
The woman was found by her 8-year-old daughter, who told police that her mother and another person were smoking something from foil in the bedroom. Social media messages between the two individuals from the day prior showed them discussing getting a “dub,” or $20-worth of drugs.
Police found another Facebook Messenger conversation between the woman and the account “Will Finesse You” coordinating the purchase of drugs, according to court records. The account was later determined to belong to Charlot. Once he was taken into custody, Charlot coordinated with his girlfriend to have her delete his Facebook account and factory reset his phone, which was in police custody.
The person who used drugs with the woman told officers that they had bought fentanyl powder from Charlot and smoked it with her at her home. They said they left at midnight, about 20 minutes before police were called.
The woman’s daughter said her mother used more fentanyl after the other person left, according to court documents. She started to shake and asked her daughter to hold her. Her daughter said she believed she died when she stopped shaking.
The woman’s death was ruled an accident, and both fentanyl and methadone were found in her system.
Charlot has a history of tribal court drug convictions, court records show. He remains in custody with a trial scheduled for April 6.