Another man charged in Clarion man’s drug death

From staff reports

A second person has been charged in the drug-related death of 26-year-old Tanner Eisenman, of Clarion.

Matthew Earl Mcdermid, 26, also of Clarion, was before District Judge Duane L. Quinn on the following charges: conspiracy, drug delivery resulting in death, felony 1; criminal use of communication facility, felony 3; conspiracy, manufacture, delivery, or possession, felony with intent to manufacture or deliver, felony and three misdemeanor charges; conspiracy involuntary manslaughter; intentional possession controlled substance by person not registered and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

In December, Dameon Tyrell Arrington, 25, of Pittsburgh also was charged in the case. The charges were the result of a joint investigation by Clarion Borough police and Pittsburgh police.

According to the criminal complaint, at about 8:35 p.m. on Aug. 15, Clarion police were dispatched to a location on Merle Road for a male patient in cardiac arrest.

Officers arrived at the scene and located Eisenman on the living room floor, and an officer located a syringe on the floor beside Eisenman’s leg, the complaint said.

Clarion County Coroner Randall Stom was called to the scene and pronounced Eisenman dead at the scene. An autopsy was conducted on Aug. 17 in Erie by Dr. Eric Vey.

Two bundles of suspected heroin were inside Eisenman’s pants pocket, and the stamped bags were submitted to the Erie Regional Crime Lab, the complaint said.

The liquid from the syringe, the complaint said, tested positive for fentanyl. The 21 white wax paper stamped bags contained a white powder with a total net weight of less than 1 gram tested positive for heroin and fentanyl.

The autopsy report listed the cause of death as “combined drug toxicity involving Fentanyl compounds.”

According to the complaint, police found Mcdermid drove Eisenman to Pittsburgh on Aug. 14, and Mcdermid allegedly communicated with Arrington and purchased stamp bags from Arrington before returning to Clarion County later that day.

Eisenman’s body was found the following day.

Mcdermid is free on $50,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, at District Court in Clarion.