‘Death by Drug Delivery’ Charges Levied

By Rick Hiduk

(Also published in the Rocket-Courier)

Wyoming County District Attorney Jeff Mitchell has announced that James Rought of Tunkhannock has been charged with “death by drug delivery” and “serious bodily injury by drug delivery” in Scranton Federal Court. The charges stem from the overdose death of Dana Carichner, a Tunkhannock resident who died on Aug. 17, and an unidentified female who survived an overdose.

Mitchell wrote in a Facebook post, “Mr. Rought is being charged in federal court due to the longer sentence he can face as compared to state court.”

The charges are welcome news to area residents beleaguered by the opioid epidemic and overdoses who have been asking aloud, “When are the dealers going to be arrested?”

These cases are hard to prosecute because the chief witness is often deceased,” Mitchell told the Rocket-Courier on Wednesday. “In this case, we had a witness who was able to say that she received fentanyl from this person (Rought).”

The witness was also present when Carichner received the drug, Mitchell explained. She overdosed at a different location earlier but was revived by first responders.

Fentanyl is 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin, and users are seldom aware of its strength until it is too late.

In addition to having a witness who can testify as to the identity of the dealer, Mitchell explained that batches of drugs often carry specific markers on the packaging. In this case, the same symbol was found on the packages obtained by the victim and witness, and their toxicology results were the same.

In his Facebook post, Mitchell wrote, “I hope this case sends a message to all the drug dealers that they will face the consequences for their actions. When we have the evidence, we will file charges.”

Mitchell credited Wyoming County Det. David Ide, Coroner Kukuchka, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the FBI for their assistance in the investigation which was largely conducted by the Wyoming County District Attorney’s Office.

Mitchell also expressed his condolences to the family.

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