Drug delivery resulting in death leads to prison time
Pletcher apologizes in court; ordered to serve 5 to 15 years

Pletcher
HOLLIDAYSBURG — An Altoona woman will be incarcerated for five to 15 years after pleading guilty Thursday to drug delivery resulting in death and related offenses.
Emily Elizabeth Pletcher, 30, who was accused of providing Nathan Daniel McGinnis with drugs that led to his overdose death on Sept. 27, 2021, apologized in court to McGinnis’ family members and cried.
“I made a really bad decision,” Pletcher said. “I let my addiction take over and it not only ruined the lives of others, but my own, too. And now I have to face the consequences.”
McGinnis’ parents found their son, then 32, unconscious in a bedroom at their Frankstown Township residence.
His father, David McGinnis, said he prays that no parent should have to suffer the loss of a child.
“Nathan’s greatest gift to this world,” the father said, “was how he touched the lives of everyone he met: every teacher, every co-worker, every customer, every friend and every family member.”
Chelsey McGinnis Mencer described her brother as a modern Renaissance man who loved the arts and sciences and was self-taught on many musical instruments. She said he sold paintings at craft shows across the country, wrote novels and loved to travel.
In court, the sister positioned a large picture of her brother within Pletcher’s view.
“Nathan was truly loved by all, as a brother, a son, a nephew, a cousin and a friend,” she said. “He seemed to have a special way of touching others with his brightness.”
Pletcher, who repeatedly wiped tears from her cheek and cried, said she worked a short time with McGinnis. Cellphone records obtained by state police at Hollidaysburg showed that on the day of McGinnis’ death, he was in contact with Pletcher. Text messages indicated his desire to buy drugs.
In a March 24, 2022, interview with a state trooper, Pletcher allegedly admitted to having sold drugs to McGinnis on multiple occasions. But she denied selling him the ones that led to his overdose death. When asked how she knew that, she reportedly replied that she consumed the same drugs and didn’t die.
Charges against Pletcher identified McGinnis’ cause of death as a multi-drug overdose, based on lab results showing the presence of morphine, which is linked to heroin use, in addition to methamphetamine and MDNA.
First Assistant District Attorney Nichole Smith and Chief Public Defender Russ Montgomery also advised Blair County Judge Jackie Bernard that the negotiated plea and recommended sentence will also address charges that Altoona police filed against Pletcher in March 2022. In that case, police went to a residence on the 1100 block of 20th Avenue after a local pediatrician’s office advised that a child had called four times, indicating that her mother’s eyes were closed.
Investigating officers found Pletcher and two other adults in the house, along with 1.5 ounces of methamphetamine, four grams of fentanyl, 25 grams of marijuana, copious amounts of drug paraphernalia, prescription pills, Suboxone strips, $510 in cash and two firearms.
In that case, Pletcher pleaded to felony counts of endangering the welfare of a child, possession with intent to deliver and criminal conspiracy, and to related misdemeanor counts. While specific sentences were assigned to each offense, Bernard agreed that the sentences could be served concurrently, so they total five to 15 years, with consideration for the state Drug Treatment Program, as decided by the state Department of Corrections.
“This is a stiff sentence, but it gives you an opportunity to live a different life,” the judge told Pletcher. “If you’re serious about wanting to live a different life, there’s a chance here for you to do that.”
Bernard, who ordered Pletcher to pay restitution of $8,999 for McGinnis’ funeral and related expenses, praised the father and sister for speaking eloquently about the loss of their family member.
“I hope the conclusion of this case brings you some healing,” the judge said.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.