State AG charges man in two fatal overdoses
New Brighton dealer allegedly responsible
On Feb. 10, Jonathan Levitt, 22, overdosed on a fentanyl mix in the basement of his North Fayette home and died.
Eighteen days later and 30 miles away, 33-year-old Jeffrey Haslett overdosed on fentanyl in the bathroom of his New Brighton home and died.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro believes the same man supplied the drugs that killed both Mr. Levitt and Mr. Haslett. On Wednesday, he announced that Robert Allen “Juice” Goosby, 27, of New Brighton, faces two counts of drug delivery resulting in death.
“I believe this dealer needs to be held accountable for cutting short the lives of these individuals,” Mr. Shapiro said during a news conference on the steps of the Beaver County Courthouse.
Investigators believe Mr. Goosby sold what he claimed was heroin to Joshua Heck, 30, of New Brighton, who in turn passed several stamp bags along to both Mr. Levitt and Mr. Haslett during separate encounters, according to a criminal complaint.
Mr. Levitt overdosed on fentanyl and amphetamine; Mr. Haslett on fentanyl alone.
Investigators tracked the fentanyl to Mr. Goosby, and undercover officers bought fentanyl from him five times in March and April, according to the complaint.
Mr. Goosby is just one of 22 people charged with dealing drugs in the Beaver County area as part of an eight-month investigation that culminated with Mr. Goosby’s indictment this week, Mr. Shapiro said.
Heck also is one of the 22 people charged and faces delivery of a controlled substance and intent to deliver. All of the 22 people targeted in the roundup face at least one count of delivery of a controlled substance, Mr. Shapiro said.
“Beaver County, we hear you,” he said. “We know there are serious challenges here. We will rid this county of the people peddling this poison andrid it of the poison itself.”
Mr. Goosby is the seventh person Mr. Shapiro has chargedwith drug delivery resulting in death in recent months,and the first person to face the charge in Beaver County. The statewide effort isan attempt to crack down on drug dealers and slow the flow ofheroin and fentanyl across the state, Mr. Shapiro said.
He has brought similar cases in Allegheny, Wayne, Montgomery, Clarion, Somerset and Westmoreland counties.
Drug delivery resulting in death is a first-degree felony and can result in up to 40 years in prison.
Mr. Shapiro said he believes bringing the charge against drug dealers is beginning to become a deterrent. Anecdotally, he said, some dealers seem to be turning away from selling heroin or fentanyl in favor of selling cocaine and methamphetamine — typically less lethal — in order to avoid the heavy penalties associated with the charge of drug delivery resulting in death.
“Let me be very clear, we're going to hold dealers accountable if they're peddling cocaine or meth or heroin,” Mr. Shapiro said, “but what you're seeing is the beginning of some evidence of changes in behavior by these dealers, and that is something that we can point to as a reason for using these charges.”
He said he hopes to bring many additional cases of drug delivery resulting in death.
The family of Mr. Levitt attended Wednesday's news conference and held pictures of the 22-year-old, who was described as a world traveler, scholar, hockey player and surfer. Mr. Haslett’s family did not attend and his step-brother declined comment later in the day.
Mr. Levitt became addicted to drugs after he was prescribed an opioid for a viral infection when he was 16, said his mother, Barbara Levitt.
“Our son hated every day of his addiction,” she said. “He was always willing to go anywhere to get help. It's just an awful disease.”
She wears her son's ashes in a silver necklace.
“We're here because the dealers need to be held accountable,” she said. “I understand it was my son's choice to use, but the dealers needto be held accountable.”