OCALA, Fla. — A man was indicted for murder after authorities in Marion County say a woman died of a drug overdose.

Wednesday Ocala Police Chief Greg Graham said they've obtained the first indictment of a drug dealer.

Police say David Long is charged with murder in the first degree for the overdose death of a 28-year-old woman in October 2017.

"This is a really bad guy and deserves to be in prison for the rest of his life. He was basically selling heroin to females, shooting them up and then violently raping them," said Graham.

Last year, police started investigating overdose deaths as homicides.

They also started an amnesty program where anyone addicted to any drug can call or come into the police department and ask for help.

Perspectives is offering those people scholarships to go through their intensive outpatient program.

"Our motto here is we’re clean and sober — now how do I live? How do I tackle the stressors involved with just daily living," said Craig Hughes, the program's director.

He says he came to Perspectives when he was on pills.

"Opiates and herion addiction is not that simple it becomes a physical dependency and very difficult for people to break on their own," said Hughes.

Police say they have other cases where murder charges are being pursued for the dealers.

Ocala Police say so far this year, they've had 48 overdoses and 9 deaths. They’ve also saved 13 people with Narcan, a nasal spray meant to reverse the effects of an overdose.

If passed by the city council, Oviedo residents can vote on the measure in the August primary.

There’s a public hearing for the charter amendment on Monday, May 7 at Oviedo City Hall.