Couple Indicted on Manslaughter For Selling Heroin to Overdose Victim
The couple sold heroin to a man who took the drug and overdosed, dying July 31, Drug Task Force detectives said.
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A St. Charles couple was indicted for involuntary manslaughter after law enforcement officials said they sold heroin to a man, who overdosed and died July 31. A St. Charles County grand jury reached decisions to hold both over for trial.
Thomas Lucas, 23, and Whitney M. Patrick, 23, both of the 200 block of Ameristar Boulevard in St. Charles, also were indicted on two counts of distributing a controlled substance.
St. Charles County Drug Task Force detectives said Jemil Ely, 23, gave Lucas and Patrick $50 for five doses of heroin. Lucas then bought eight heroin doses in the city of St. Louis on July 30.
Patrick, Lucas’ girlfriend, then gave the heroin to Ely, keeping three doses for herself. Lucas and Patrick said rather than give Ely five doses, they gave it to him in two separate occasions.
Lucas and Patrick each told police they knew Ely had overdosed on two occasions and they were afraid he would overdose again if they gave him all five doses. Both were present during one overdose, police said.
Police said Ely overdosed July 31 and died after taking the heroin provided by Lucas and Patrick.
The couple both said they participated in the drug deal so Patrick could get free heroin. She acknowledged being a heroin addict.
“During the investigation, Patrick seemed to show little remorse for her actions and viewed Ely’s death as a likely outcome of heroin usage,” a Drug Task Force detective wrote in a report. “She advised that she had lost several close friends to heroin use.”
Lucas told police he is a recovering heroin addict, but admitted to using suboxone.
Patrick posted a $12,500 cash-only bond and was released Oct. 19 on condition that she continue drug treatment and submit to weekly drug tests. Lucas posted a $10,000 cash-only bond and was released Nov. 20, and must submit to biweekly drug tests.
For more crime information on St. Charles Patch, see the following articles:
b.l.p
10:14 am on Thursday, January 10, 2013
STOP TAKING DRUGS YOU IDIOTS!
Car Code
12:43 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013
Who sold 2 bottles of Vodka to Amy Winehouse?
Terry Cooper
11:47 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. What ever happened to personal responsibility. Are you going to start arresting the clerks at Dirt Cheap because they sell cigarettes to people who die of lung cancer?
Terry Cooper
11:53 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
The next time something is stolen from my car I want to press charges against the police for not doing their job and patrolling my neighborhood properly.
Some person
12:48 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013
1. Good luck pressing charges against the police...see if they'll come back around. 2. So your saying you want to have a respectable payed person to not worry about traffic accidents, watch the streets for DWI's, make sure there are no stand off/hostage situations (that does happen around this area from time to time), or just in general patrol the streets just to stand and guard your ipod or whatever is in your car?
Terry Cooper
12:55 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Some Person- I see you have a poor grasp of the concept of sarcasm and the English language.
Some person
12:58 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The fact that almost every comment you post has the officers looking like the bad guys washes out every chance of this comment being sarcastic to me.
Terry Cooper
1:05 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Some Person, It wasn't meant to be sarcastic. Sorry if the truth hurts. If you had a better grasp of the English language you would be able to see that the majority of my comments are pointed at the courts inefficiencies not the police.
Terry Cooper
12:07 am on Sunday, January 13, 2013
The cops and courts must get some of the most sheepish members of the community to make up their grand jury and persuade them to do their bidding. I hope you fools know that what you did is illegal.