Methadone News Blog

Ishpeming man pleads in overdose death case

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 17:22:38 +0000

MARQUETTE An Ishpeming man pleaded no contest Thursday at his arraignment on a charge of delivering a controlled substance causing death.

Jesse Martin, 40, of 280 Steel St., entered the plea before Judge John R. Weber in Marquettes 25th Circuit Court in a plea agreement that dismissed two unrelated misdemeanor charges of delivering prescription drugs. The agreement also stated the prosecutors office would recommend a sentence in line with state guidelines for the charge, a felony with a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The charge originated from the death of a Calumet woman in October. Sherry Klemett, 36, died at a relatives home in Painesdale, police said. Marquette County Prosecutor Gary Walker said Thursday that Martin told police he had delivered the drug to Klemett, and that a medical examiner found Klemetts death to be a result of methadone overdose.

Mom charged after son, 2, drinks methadone, dies

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 17:22:38 +0000

A mother was charged Thursday after her 2-year-old son drank her methadone and died, authorities said.

Lakesha Williams, 35, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the life of a child. Her son, Kejuan Davis, was found unresponsive in the family's home in the 5200 block of West Chicago on Tuesday and died the following day, police said.

Charges were approved after medical tests confirmed that the baby had methadone -- a deadly narcotic -- in his system, a law enforcement source said.

Pekin man's death an accidental overdose

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 17:22:38 +0000

BY KAREN McDONALD OF THE JOURNAL STAR PEKIN - A 55-year-old Pekin man died from a combined lethal dose of methadone and the painkiller Doxepin.

William H. Swingle, 11255 Garman Road, was prescribed the two drugs by a doctor to treat chronic back pain., Tazewell County Coroner Dennis Conover said. A coroner's jury ruled the death accidental during inquests Thursday.

Conover expressed concern with an apparent increasing number of methadone overdoses in the county. Methadone is an inexpensive legal opiate that is given to heroin addicts as a "maintenance drug" on an outpatient basis.

Police charge mother after drug kills toddler

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 17:22:38 +0000

Kejuan Davis was a welcome sight many mornings at Austin's In the Cut barbershop. The 2-year-old would run down the stairs from his apartment to help open the shop and turn on the lights before settling into a chair to play video games.

Employees and customers were devastated Thursday by the news that the toddler's mother was charged in his death, two days after the boy ingested her methadone prescription, police say.

"We are heartbroken," shop owner Terrance Stanley said. "This is just tragic."

POLICE LOG: EL CERRITO

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 17:22:38 +0000

* PEDESTRIAN ARRESTED -- A 50-year-old Richmond man was arrested during a pedestrian stop after the officer determined he was in possession of crystal methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

MONDAY, JUNE 18

* HONDA STOLEN -- A 1995 Honda Civic was stolen from the 5700 block of Charles Avenue at 9 p.m. and 7:55 a.m. the next day.

Ukrainian health envoys visit area hospital

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 17:22:38 +0000

On Tuesday, the delegation of health officials and translators hit the San Mateo Medical Center, seeking advice on launching programs to provide treatment for injection-drug users infected with HIV/AIDS. The concept — combining methadone to kick the heroin habit with antiretroviral drug therapy to stabilize HIV — is well-established in the U.S., but is novel and fraught with resistance in their homeland.

"They don't have any experience, and they don't know how it will develop," said Elena Villagran, a doctor and translator for the group. "They agree it will work, but they don't know how to do it, and they don't have enough resources."

The delegation hailed from the Dnipropetrovsk oblast (or province) in southeastern Ukraine, where at least 18,000 people out of the province's 3.5 million are estimated to be infected with HIV. Overall, the country faces a 1.4 percent infection rate of at lest 377,000 people, according to the San Francisco-based Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation.

Mom's drug kills toddler

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 10:24:36 +0000

Employees and customers were devastated Thursday by the news that the toddler's mother was charged in his death, two days after the boy ingested her methadone prescription, police say.

"We are heartbroken," shop owner Terrance Stanley said. "This is just tragic."

Toddler may have overdosed on drugs

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 10:24:36 +0000

June 28, 2007 - A mother has been charged in connection with the overdose death of her 2-year old son who was found unresponsive in the family's West Side home.

Lakesha Williams, 35, faces one county of involuntary manslaughter and one count of endangering the life of a child.

Her son, Kejuan Davis, died Wednesday after ingesting methadone. Williams is accused of leaving the drug where the boy was able to get it.

Homicide charge dropped in FdL "Len Bias" case

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 19:14:17 +0000

A homicide charge was dismissed Wednesday morning against a 24-year-old Campbellsport woman accused of sharing methadone pills with her boyfriend who died of a drug overdose.

As part of a plea agreement, a charge of first-degree reckless homicide against Erin K. Gill was amended to second-degree reckless endangerment. That charge was then dismissed and read in.

Gill pleaded guilty to a second charge of delivery of narcotics.

I cant bring him back

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 19:14:17 +0000

In the wake of her son’s death from a methadone overdose, Beth Safirt finds the questions come more easily than the answers

LA PORTE COUNTY — When she thinks about what she could have done to prevent her 18-year-old son Brandon Benner from dying of an accidental drug overdose four weeks ago, a cloud of regret descends upon Beth Safirt.

The fact that her son is gone and she is helpless to bring him back makes her numb.

Ukraine health envoys visit county hospital

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 19:14:17 +0000

On Tuesday, the delegation of health officials and translators hit the San Mateo Medical Center, seeking advice on launching programs to provide treatment for injection-drug users infected with HIV/AIDS. The concept — combining methadone to kick the heroin habitwith antiretroviral drug therapy to stabilize HIV — is well-established in the U.S., but is novel and fraught with resistance in their homeland.

The delegation hailed from the Dnipropetrovsk oblast (or province) in southeastern Ukraine, where at least 18,000 people out of the province's

Mayor White says local database could help veterans

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:29:52 +0000

One in 11 soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan is Texan, according to the Department of Defense. A quarter of the state's population comes from the Houston-Galveston area.

"You do the math," Mayor Bill White said Monday.

He has. To help returning wounded veterans, White pulled together about 200 community and military leaders Monday to announce plans for a bureaucracy-busting, problem-solving coalition similar to the one organized for Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett will co-lead the effort.

Court rules psychiatrist not liable for a crash caused by a patient

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 18:21:43 +0000

The Superior Court ruling upholds a Blair County judge's decision dismissing the lawsuit filed by Matthew Stever of Altoona, who was injured in a head-on crash caused by Crystal Ickes, 27, on Aug. 5, 2004.

Ickes was killed in the accident, so Stever sued her psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Antonowicz of the Altoona Regional Health System. Stever argued the doctor should have precluded Ickes from driving, knowing the danger in mixing antidepressant drugs and methadone.

But Judge Tim Sullivan cited four state Superior and Supreme court cases in which doctors were deemed not responsible for patient- caused accidents.

D-FI makes steps to improve youth involvment

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 18:21:43 +0000

The involvement of local high school students with Whitley County’s Drug-Free Indiana Task Force will have a different setup which will most likely start this fall if all goes well.

The change comes at the end of a school year which saw a lack of interest in youth wanting to meet outside of school hours or the monthly D-FI meetings, the most recent of which was Thursday.

D-FI’s youth advisor, Shelby Sheets, and the students had talked with the rest of D-FI at a previous meeting about the issues.

The Web Site Celebrities Fear

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 05:19:46 +0000

LOS ANGELES, June 24 While the networks tussled over which would land the first interview with Paris Hilton after her release from jail, the upstart Web site TMZ.com was breaking most of the news.

On June 3, TMZ.com was the only media outlet to capture on video Ms. Hiltons surrender at the Los Angeles central jail for men, while other outlets waited outside the Lynwood womens jail for her to arrive there. When Ms. Hilton was released early by the Los Angeles County Sheriff, Lee Baca, and when Judge Michael T. Sauer ordered the sheriff to take her back to court, TMZ.com was first to report that Sheriff Baca had initially refused to follow the judges order.

TMZ.com has so dominated the coverage on Ms. Hilton that Larry King, who is scheduled to interview her on CNN Wednesday night, will turn over tonights one-hour show to TMZ.coms anchor and managing editor, Harvey Levin, the man who may represent the future of celebrity journalism.

Painkiller prescriptions probed

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 16:53:38 +0000

His patients come from six states, driving an average of six hours round trip.

He doesn't take insurance; instead, he requires cash payments at his small Mount Healthy medical practice.

He prescribes narcotics for them - in quantities large enough to make at least a couple of pharmacists suspicious.

Police Logs: June 24, 2007

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 16:53:38 +0000

Three vehicles were burglarized at a business in the 500 block of Wilshire Drive.

Paint was poured on a lawn and soap was put into a fountain in the 2200 block of Cumberland Drive.

A vehicle ran into a fence at a business in the 1700 block of Victor Avenue.

Clinic expands addiction treatment

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 16:53:38 +0000

LEBANON - Five healthy babies have been born to clients at Lebanon County's methadone clinic in the year since it opened, according to its director, Scott Stephenson. And that's only one sign of its success, he said.

The clinic has served more than 200 opiate-addicted patients. Ninety-one percent of its clients tested clean in the first quarter of 2007, and 65 percent of them are working. The clinic is beginning a program for clients in jail.

"It's been a great year, but we're just reaching the tip of the iceberg," he said. "There are still a lot of people out there who need help."

Riviera Beach: Drug operation uncovered in apartment, police say

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 09:19:57 +0000

The police SWAT team and narcotics unit seized a major drug operation Saturday morning in a raid on an apartment in the 1000 block of Indian Trace Circle.

Deon Roundtree, 41, was making and selling drugs from the apartment, police said. Roundtree is serving a 16-year probation sentence for drug trafficking in Georgia, police said. He faces federal drug charges, police said.

Police found 5 kilograms of cocaine, 8 ounces of crack cocaine, 4 pounds of marijuana, 503 grams of oxycodone, 107.4 grams of methadone, $70,957, and electronic scales, baking pans, baking soda and other items used to make crack cocaine.

Giles woman charged with TennCare fraud

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 16:03:55 +0000

City council makes counter-offer to manager candidate

LifeFlight hangar hits new snag

Lawrence plan targets landlords to stop illegals

Man's arrest puts him in fed custody

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 16:03:55 +0000

A Crown Point man awaiting a federal trial for his alleged role in a Porter County heroin ring is in federal custody after local police found 13 plastic bags of heroin and syringes in his car.

Mark Lurie, 25, was driving with a broken license plate lamp June 5 on U.S. 30 near Burr Street and was pulled over by a Lake County police officer. During a pat down by the officer, Lurie confessed he had the drugs and syringes in his car.

Lurie, who faces federal felony charges for conspiracy to buy and sell heroin, was arrested by Lake County Sheriff's police for possession of a controlled substance. The arrest violates terms of Lurie's pre-trial release agreement and Judge Paul R. Cherry on Wednesday ordered him to report to a residential rehabilitation facility in South Bend.

Toxicology tests awaited in mans death

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 16:03:55 +0000

The La Porte County Coroner’s Office is continuing to investigate the death of a 43-year-old Michigan City man who might have overdosed on methadone.

An autopsy for Ricky Gray Tuesday revealed no anatomical reasons for his death, meaning there was no heart attack, stroke or signs of trauma to the body, according to the coroner’s office.

Gray was found unresponsive by his 10-year-old daughter at his home in the 600 block of Thurman Avenue at about 10:45 a.m. Monday, according to Michigan City Police.

Nolan County grand jury hands down 24 indictments

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:18:49 +0000

Son's death puts family in different place

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 08:42:00 +0000

* Parents suspect Jeremy Olson, 21, is latest victim of Englewood's 'bad drug problem.'

ENGLEWOOD -- Kevin and Louise Olson were sleeping when their son, Jeremy, came home about 1 a.m. Tuesday, went to bed, and died before they woke.

They don't know if he struggled to stay alive or if he died without feeling a thing.

State-funded drug treatment center to relocate into mostly residential neighborhood

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 08:42:00 +0000

PORT RICHEY - Residents in the city's east end have put up with crime, drug dealing and prostitution for years.

Recently, things have been improving. City police have been cracking down on crime while homeowners have polished the area's tarnished image by sinking big bucks into renovations.

So residents were less than pleased to learn that a state-funded drug treatment group has the city's permission to open a methadone clinic in the neighborhood.