Elyria Man Sentenced For Fentanyl Overdose Death

ELYRIA, OH - An Elyria man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for selling fentanyl that led to the fatal overdose of a Lorain County man, law enforcement said on April 27. David Andrew Hollis, 27, sold the narcotic on Feb. 21, 2016 and was indicted in Aug. 2016.

Hollis sold both heroin and fentanyl several times between Oct. 2015 and March 2016, law enforcement said. Prosecutors brought a nine-count indictment down against Hollis.

"We are committed to aggressively pursue heroin and fentanyl traffickers and organizations that are creating the drug epidemic that our communities face every day," Lorain County Sheriff Phil R. Stammitti said in a statement.

The Lorain County Drug Task Force led the investigation into Hollis. The Morning Journal reports that Hollis had previously been arrested and charged with trafficking cocaine, possession of cocaine, and drug paraphernalia during an Aug. 2015 crackdown by the Elyria Police Narcotics Unit.

Heroin and fentanyl use have led to an epidemic of overdose deaths in Northeast Ohio and neighboring Cuyahoga County. Northeast Ohio is on pace for a record number of overdose deaths in 2017, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner reports. If the current pace holds, more than 800 residents will be killed by overdose this year. By comparison, in 2016, there are a projected 608 overdose deaths. In 2015, there were 370 overdose deaths.

“We will continue to aggressively prosecute those who profit from the sale of drugs that have caused so much death and pain in our community,” Acting U.S. Attorney David A. Sierleja said in a press release. “It will take vigorous law enforcement, combined with prevention efforts and making treatment available to those who want help, to turn the tide on the opioid epidemic.”

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