Canfield man gets six months for his role in nonfatal overdose

By Justin Wier

jwier@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

A Canfield man will serve six months in jail for providing a woman with heroin that resulted in her nonfatal overdose.

Anthony Beshara, 19, of Heritage Drive, pleaded guilty to one count of corrupting another with drugs late last year in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

The charges arose after Beshara called police when a woman in his car showed signs of an overdose.

Beshara told the court he and the woman purchased heroin together the night before, and she had left her heroin at his house.

When she arrived the next day, Beshara said she used the heroin before they left to go to a fast-food restaurant. It was on the way to the restaurant that she overdosed, he said.

“Instead of panicking or worrying about myself, I called the police,” Beshara said.

The woman who overdosed told police she got the drugs from Beshara.

Beshara said he developed an opioid addiction after a knee surgery. Prescription painkillers led to street drugs which led to heroin, he said.

That didn’t earn him sympathy from Judge R. Scott Krichbaum, who recounted his own history of knee surgeries.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot understand or give you credit or feel like you’re mitigating anything because your knee hurt,” he said.

Judge Krichbaum imposed the jail term Tuesday as a condition of Beshara’s five-year probation and said Beshara deserved punishment.

“The only difference between this case and you killing her with these drugs is that she recovered from the OD,” Judge Krichbaum said.

Judge Krichbaum told Beshara if he violates the terms of his probation, he will spend 18 months in prison.