Two indictments in 17-year-old’s heroin death

Two indictments in 17-year-old’s heroin death

WARREN

A second man has been indicted in the April 6 heroin overdose death of Christine M. Sheesley of Churchill Road in Girard on her 17th birthday.

James L. Patterson, 27, of Division Street, Youngstown, was indicted Thursday on eight charges, including involuntary manslaughter, two counts of corrupting another with drugs, three counts of heroin trafficking, and single counts of cocaine possession and tampering with evidence.

Tyler S. Stevens, 19, of Park Avenue, Girard, was secretly indicted in May by a Trumbull County grand jury on involuntary manslaughter, corrupting another with drugs, heroin trafficking and permitting drug abuse.

Stevens is in the Trumbull County jail in lieu of $250,000 bond. Patterson will be arraigned on his charges Wednesday.

Capt. John Norman of the Girard Police Department said the investigation indicated that Sheesley, a junior at Girard High School, had gone with a girlfriend that night to celebrate her birthday and ended up at the apartment of Stevens, whom she was “friendly with.”

“She went with her friend to hang out” at Stevens’ home with no intent to stay overnight, Norman said. While there, she injected heroin and was found dead there the next day, according to the Trumbull County coroner’s office.

A Girard police report said Stevens and Sheelsey’s 17-year-old girlfriend said Sheesley “appeared tired” at about 9:45 p.m., so they tried to lay her down, then put her in a chair.

When the girl kept falling out of the chair, they put her on the floor with pillows under her head and covered her with a blanket, police said.

“When they woke up, [they] found that she had not woken up [and] tried to wake her, and when they were unable to they called” police.

Police zeroed in on Patterson’s involvement in the case after arresting him May 24 at a car wash on Trumbull Avenue. Patterson and two other males were arrested during what police believe was a drug deal. During the arrest, police recovered heroin and crack cocaine.

All but one of Patterson’s drug charges stem from May 24. He faces one heroin trafficking charge from April 6. Patterson faces up to about 30 years in prison on his charges. Stevens could get up to about 20 years in prison if convicted.