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Man out on bail faces new charges

Carney allegedly supplied drug that led to near-fatal overdose Friday night

HOLLIDAYSBURG — What started as a call for a reported cardiac arrest late Friday turned into a heroin overdose investigation that culminated in charges against a Hollidaysburg man who had been out on bail for allegedly supplying heroin that killed a man in 2016.

Clinton W. Carney, 28, of 709 Condron St., Hollidaysburg, was arraigned Monday morning on felony and misdemeanor charges that include criminal conspiracy and delivery of heroin after a Hol­lidaysburg Borough police investigation this weekend into a near-fatal overdose Friday night on the 1200 block of Walnut Street.

Hollidaysburg police officers administered naloxone nasal spray to revive the man, who was then taken to UPMC Altoona, according to police and charges filed before Magisterial District Judge Paula Aigner.

By Sunday night, Hollidaysburg police officers Richard Oldham, Jeff Friday and Alan Fochler, along with Chief Rodney Estep, charged Carney and 30-year-old Cory Boring.

“With the surge in overdoses and overdose deaths that we’ve seen in the last four years, it’s very easy for complacency to set in when the police respond, and say, ‘Oh well, this is another overdose,” Blair County First Assistant District Attorney Pete Weeks said on Monday as he praised the work of officers in saving the overdose victim’s life as well as investigating the source of the heroin.

When Carney was arrested Sunday night, police allegedly found 39 plain, white wax packets of heroin on him along with 3.5 grams of methamphetamine and other drug paraphernalia.

“These officers went above and beyond to fully investigate this matter in an attempt to determine the source of the heroin causing the overdose,” Weeks said.

Police linked the heroin to Carney through Boring, who had made several phone calls to the overdose victim just minutes before the man’s wife found him on a couch and not breathing. Boring allegedly confessed to buying five plain, white wax packets of the drug from Carney for the overdose victim, according to the charges. The last call to the overdose victim was to let him know he had hidden the packets underneath a trash can outside his house, police noted.

In the latest case, Carney is facing five felony and

six misdemeanor charges including possession with intent to deliver, criminal conspiracy of possession with intent to deliver, criminal use of a communication facility, recklessly endangering another person, possession of a controlled substance by a person not registered, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Boring was charged with three felony and two misdemeanors, including criminal conspiracy with intent to deliver, criminal use of a communication facility, possession and recklessly endangering another person.

Carney was out on $100,000 cash bail and awaiting trial on felony drug delivery resulting in death for allegedly supplying the heroin in the Jan. 31, 2016, overdose that took the life of 46-year-old Robert Johnston in Hollidaysburg.

Weeks said Monday that a motion has been filed in Blair County Court to revoke Carney’s bail and also forfeit the $100,000 posted bail.

“It’s very worthwhile to understand that our officers went in with very little information,” the chief said. “So they get dispatched by Blair County 911 for a cardiac arrest of a 28-year-old male. Our officers respond fast and their initial thoughts are, ‘we have a medical problem that we need to take care of.’

“It was a complete surprise to the family members of the individual who was overdosed,” Estep said. “We didn’t know he was overdosed, until we started listening.”

Officers rushed outside to their vehicle, brought in their medical kit and gave two doses of naloxone to the man.

“Our officers not only gave one dose of Narcan but two doses of Narcan in this instance,” Estep explained. “One dose didn’t work. The second dose … thankfully the individual began to breath while his wife is giving mouth-to-mouth.

“If you think for a second that’s a victimless crime that can be shrugged off as to these things don’t really affect your community — they impact hard,” he added.

The chief said the community should be proud of their police officers who rushed into a situation, not knowing what was going on, and then not only save a life but also then gather the evidence and information necessary to bring a case against the supplier of the heroin. Five years ago, the officers wouldn’t have been able to save the man’s life because they didn’t have the training or naloxone.

“We have a safe community because we have good police officers and good teamwork with the district attorney’s office and the drug task force,” Estep said Monday.

Weeks said the case is another example of the toll drugs take on people and communities.

“Although these are allegations at this time, these allegations serve as a stark reminder that drug trafficking and drug use have a cost,” Weeks said. “Sometimes the cost is death — in this case the cost was almost death — and for those in positions where decisions are made as to how these things are treated, it is disingenious to suggest this type of behavior does not have a profoundly negative impact on the community.”

He added the investigation, and many in the county, was helped from information from the community and the drug hotline, 693-3020, remains in operation for people to call.

Carney, who invoked his right to remain silent when questioned by police, was placed in Blair County Prison in lieu of the $200,000 cash bail set in the latest case, and Boring remains free on a unsecured $50,000 bond.

A preliminary hearing is slated for Jan. 22 in Hollidaysburg.

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