Man accused in drug death had prior contact with police
NORRISTOWN » A month before an East Norriton man allegedly delivered a fatal dose of fentanyl to a woman who was a patient at a township hospital he was under investigation for endangering his child with his alleged drug activity, according to court records.
When township police went to Travis Siuta’s residence on April 7, 2017, they found a pill bottle containing methadone as well as small, clear bags — used and unused — that are commonly used to package heroin and “numerous used hypodermic needles,” in Siuta’s unlocked bedroom, which was easily accessible to his five-year-old daughter who was staying at the residence, according to a criminal complaint.
When questioned by police at that time Siuta, 29, of the 500 block of Wellington Road, admitted he was addicted to drugs, specifically crack cocaine, and to injecting heroin daily, according court papers filed by East Norriton Detective Anthony Caso. Asked by police how he supplied his drug addiction, Siuta, who did not work at the time, could not explain, detectives alleged.
At one point Siuta allegedly told detectives, “I’m not a drug dealer, I just help people get drugs. I know people and I get drugs for other people.”
When asked by detectives to elaborate, Siuta allegedly stated, “I don’t want to hem myself up. I’m invoking my rights,” according to a May 9 criminal complaint with which Siuta was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and possession of methadone and drug paraphernalia.
But even though Siuta knew that the April 7 investigation was ongoing he allegedly delivered a fatal dose of fentanyl that resulted in the May 6 overdose death of Ciara Hadrick, 30, of Norristown, who was a patient at Einstein Medical Center in East Norriton.
Siuta was charged July 26 with drug delivery resulting in death, recklessly endangering another person, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility in connection with Hadrick’s death.
Siuta remains in the county jail awaiting his formal arraignment on the charges in county court on Oct. 11.
It’s unclear if prosecutors will seek to combine the charges stemming from the April 7 incident with the drug delivery resulting in death case. If they do, a jury might hear the incriminating remarks Siuta made to detectives regarding his alleged drug activity on April 7.
With the latest charges, Assistant District Attorney Tonya Lupinacci alleged Siuta provided pills, heroin and the synthetic opioid fentanyl five times to Hadrick while she was a patient being treated for an undisclosed non-life-threatening condition at the East Norriton hospital. A trial date will be set at a later date for Siuta, who is represented by defense lawyer John I. McMahon Jr.
East Norriton police responded to the hospital at 3:45 a.m. May 6 for a reported overdose death of a patient. A nurse found Hadrick unresponsive in the bathroom of her fourth-floor hospital room at around 2:30 a.m. Attempts to revive Hadrick were unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead at 3:06 a.m., according to the criminal complaint filed by Caso.
Two empty, blue wax-style bags were found under Hadrick’s body, and one blue wax style bag containing a white powdery substance was found in Hadrick’s clothing. The packaging, authorities alleged, is the type commonly used for packaging heroin. A syringe also was found on the floor of the bathroom next to Hadrick’s body, detectives alleged.
The investigation determined that at 11:49 p.m. May 5, Siuta signed the hospital’s after hours sign-in logs as a visitor to Hadrick’s room, according to the criminal complaint. Siuta’s arrival and departure eight minutes later were captured by hospital surveillance cameras.