FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) — A man facing drug delivery resulting in death and other charges in relation to a fatal incident that occurred in Franklin last year was held for court on Wednesday.

Court documents indicate the following charges against 33-year-old Edwyn St Charles Lacey, of Austintown, Ohio, were held for court on June 9:

– Drug Delivery Resulting In Death, Felony 1
– Criminal Use Of Communication Facility, Felony 3
– Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver, Felony
– Involuntary Manslaughter, Misdemeanor 1

The above charges have been transferred to the Venango County Court of Common Pleas.

The following charges against Lacey, related to a separate incident in Franklin in June of 2019, were dismissed:

– Criminal Use Of Communication Facility, Felony 3 (two counts)
– Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver, Felony (two counts)
– Possession of Controlled Substance, Misdemeanor (two counts)
– Use/Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor (two counts)

Lacey is currently lodged in the Venango County Jail with bail denied due to being a “flight risk” and “will not comply with bail conditions.”

Details of the case:

According to a criminal complaint, around 10:50 p.m. on July 9, 2020, Franklin Police were dispatched to a residence on Center Street in Franklin for a report of a man in cardiac arrest.

Police arrived at the scene prior to other EMS agencies and found a known female performing CPR on one man with a second man nearby also unresponsive. One of the officers then took over CPR on the victim while the other officer called for additional units to respond to the location for the two men.

An officer then checked on the other unresponsive man, who was seated upright on a couch and was breathing. The officer began CPR protocols on the second man as additional EMS arrived at the scene. The second man was then able to be revived with the administration of Narcan.

The complaint states after contact with medical command regarding the status of the two men, the determination was made to pronounce the victim deceased and the Venango County Coroner was called to the scene.

According to the complaint, the coroner’s report later found that the victim died as a result of combined drug toxicity.

Based on witness information obtained at the scene, as well as the coroner’s report, it was determined that the death of the victim was caused by the delivery of illegal narcotics to the two men, according to the complaint.

The cell phones of both men were seized at the scene and retained as evidence, and search warrants were then obtained and served for the data from the phones.

According to the complaint, evidence was then uncovered regarding a drug delivery made by Edwyn St Charles Lacey.

The complaint states that based on information obtained in a witness interview and statement, Lacey, AKA “Slim,” was identified as the individual who delivered the controlled substance, identified as crack cocaine with fentanyl, which resulted in the death of the victim.

While conducting an additional follow-up investigation, police obtained surveillance video from a location on Center Street that showed Lacey delivering the controlled substances. The footage reportedly showed Lacey arriving in a vehicle described by the witness as a rented U-Haul pick-up truck, exiting the vehicle, and going into the residence.

The complaint notes the witness reported that the man used his cell phone and contacted Lacey around 9:28 p.m. on July 9 via text message and asked to purchase crack cocaine and police found messages on the phone that corroborated.

The witness also reportedly told police that when Lacey arrived at the residence, he put the cocaine on the table, picked up the money from the table, and left again.

According to the complaint, the witness also told police that he “took a hit” of the crack cocaine and noticed that it tasted wrong and then told the victim not to smoke it, but the victim was already smoking the substance. The witness reported that he, the victim, and the known woman were the only people in the residence at the time, and no one else entered with Lacey. The witness also told police he had purchased crack cocaine from Lacey multiple times previously.

The complaint notes the witness’s statements to police coincided with information obtained as a result of the search warrant of the cell phones.

The charges were filed against Lacey through District Court 28-3-03 on September 29, 2020.

Lacey was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Matthew T. Kirtland at 10:15 a.m. on Friday, May 28, 2021.