Charges in fatal OD

Skippack man arrested in fentanyl death of Perkiomen man

NORRISTOWN » A 19-year-old Skippack man faces charges he allegedly sold the drug fentanyl to a 20-year-old Perkiomen man who later died after overdosing on the synthetic opioid analgesic

Patrick Ryan Yahner, of the 3800 block of Center Avenue, was arraigned Monday before District Court Judge Albert J. Augustine on charges of drug delivery resulting in death, possession of a controlled substance, delivering a controlled substance, recklessly endangering another person and criminal use of a communication facility in connection with the April 9 overdose death of Justin C. Service.

Augustine denied Yahner bail and Yahner was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility to await his Oct. 31 preliminary hearing on the charges.

“Justin Service died by someone poisoning himwith the very deadly drug fentanyl, and that someone was a drug dealer,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele. “Anyone dealing drugs in Montgomery County needs to hear this message: if you deal drugs like fentanyl, heroin or pills and

“Justin Service died by someone poisoning him with the very deadly drug fentanyl, and that someone wasadrug dealer.” — Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele

we can prove that the drugs you sold caused someone’s death, you will be charged with homicide.”

Yahner’s arrest marked the seventh time this year that a person was charged with drug delivery resulting in death in the county as officials deal with the scourge of the opioid epidemic.

“We are committed to stopping the flow of this deadly drug into our communities in Montgomery County,” Steele added.

An investigation began about 11:10 a.m. April 9 when state police at Skippack responded to a Tudor Road home in Perkiomen for a reported drug overdose and found Service dead in the basement of the residence. Court documents indicate Service was discovered unresponsive in the basement by a relative.

An autopsy determined Service died of fentanyl toxicity and the manner of deathwas ruled accidental.

Prosecutors alleged fentanyl is similar tomorphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent.

During the investigation, detectives examined Service’s cellphone and determined that Service had text message conversations with Yahner beginning at 9:09 p.m. April 8. During the conversations, Service asked Yahner, “U got f” to which Yahner replied, “we can get it in Skippack,” according to the criminal complaint filed by state police Trooper Barry Bertolet and county Detective Paul Bradbury.

Detectives who analyzed the “coded” text messages alleged Service was asking Yahner if he had fentanyl for sale and Service indicated he had $20 to purchase the drugs, according to court documents. Yahner allegedly initially told Service that he would try to get two bags for $20 but later texted Service that it cost him $40 to purchase fentanyl.

Court documents indicate that the pair allegedly met outside a store in Trappe where the drug delivery took place about 10:45 p.m. April 8. Service, according to court documents, sent another text message to Yahner at 11:13 p.m., telling Yahner he liked the controlled substances that were sold to him.

When Yahner was confronted by detectives about the text message conversations, he admitted he obtained four unmarked bags which he gave to Service in exchange for $40 and said Service gave himtwo of the bags, according to the criminal complaint.

“Yahner told investigators that he was the one that provided the fentanyl to Service that killed him,” Bertolet and Bradbury wrote in the arrest affidavit. “Yahner told investigators that he knew the meeting with Service occurred in April because it was the anniversary of another friend that overdosed and died the previous year.”

If he’s convicted of the charges at trial, Yahner faces a possible maximum sentence of 14½ to 29 years in prison.