LEBANON, Ohio -- A man was sentenced to seven years in prison for causing his girlfriend's overdose death, Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell announced Wednesday.
Steven Lay, 35, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, corrupting another with drugs, tampering with evidence and two counts of child endangering last month.
Lay purchased fentanyl for $65 from a drug dealer in Middletown last April, according to the news release. He brought the drugs home and used them with his girlfriend, Shawna Mitchell, in the bedroom while their 1-year-old child and Mitchell’s 10-year-old autistic child were in the family room.
He passed out, and when he came to he found Mitchell unconscious in the hallway, officials said. He administered CPR unsuccessfully and then flushed the remaining drugs down the toilet and hid the drug paraphernalia under a mattress before calling 911.
Lebanon police and firefighters responded but were unable to revive Mitchell, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
