Millersville Man Convicted In Teen's Overdose Death

MILLERSVILLE, MD — A jury has convicted a Millersville man of one count of involuntary manslaughter, distribution of fentanyl, reckless endangerment and other lesser charges in the death of 16-year-old Josiah Klaes. Jason Patton Baker, 46, faces a maximum sentence of 35 years and will be sentenced Feb. 13.

"Mr. Baker sold drugs he knew were potentially lethal, going so far as to take taking into account the victim's age, height and weight before doing so. The defendant's greed and his lack of humanity in selling deadly drugs to a teenager is beyond disturbing. Josiah's family has suffered a devastating loss and I am grateful that the jury recognized that the defendant's actions led to the victim's death and held him accountable. This case was successful due to the excellent police work by Anne Arundel County detectives and prosecutor Jason Steinhardt," said Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess in a statement.

On Jan. 19, 2018, Anne Arundel County police officers responded to an emergency call in the 8200 block of Kramer Court in Glen Burnie to find Klaes in cardiac arrest. He was unresponsive and pronounced dead on the scene. Anne Arundel County detectives spoke with Klaes' brother who said Klaes had recently purchased marijuana from a man known by the name of 'Baker.' A friend of the victim advised police he witnessed several drug transactions of heroin and marijuana between Baker and Klaes. An analysis of the victim's cellphone found numerous text messages between the two that detailed drug transactions. During one of the text message exchanges, Baker asked Klaes his age and he replied with his weight and height and told him that he was 16 years old.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Klaes died as a direct result of fentanyl intoxication. On Feb. 3, 2018, Baker was arrested for possession of a controlled dangerous substance. A search warrant executed for Baker's phone matched the phone number linked to the contact in Klaes' phone. Additionally, further investigation found that Baker sold Josiah fentanyl instead of heroin, which led to the fatal overdose.

Anne Arundel County Detective Morehouse investigated this matter and Assistant State's Attorney Jason Steinhardt prosecuted the case on behalf of the citizens of Anne Arundel County.