A nine-count federal indictment was filed charging an Elyria man with selling heroin and fentanyl, including a dose of fentanyl that caused the fatal overdose of a Lorain County man, law enforcement officials said.
David Andrew Hollis, 27, sold heroin or fentanyl several times between October 2015 and March 2016. He sold fentanyl on Feb. 21 to a man who fatally overdosed in Lorain County, according to the indictment.
“We will continue to hold drug dealers who sell heroin and fentanyl accountable for the deaths and misery they cause,” said U.S. Attorney Carole S. Rendon. “It will take aggressive enforcement, combined with prevention efforts and making treatment available to those who want help, to turn the tide on the opioid epidemic.”
"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.
The U.S. Attorney's Office has filed 15 indictments related to sales of heroin or fentanly that directly resulted in deaths since the beginning of last year.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa Darden and Robert Corts following an investigation by the Lorain County Drug Task Force.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after a review of the federal sentencing guidelines and factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record (if any), the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.