GREENSBURG, Pa. — A man caused two overdose deaths and smuggled drugs into the Westmoreland County Prison, police say.
Davi Roman, 29, of New Kensington, is charged with two counts of drug delivery resulting in death, delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, contraband, drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole W. Ziccarelli announced the charges on Thursday.
Authorities first encountered Roman when New Kensington officers were called to a house on Kenneth Avenue for a suspected overdose in September 2023.
Shaunna Thomas, Roman’s girlfriend, was found dead from a fentanyl overdose inside the house, police say. Roman was arrested at the scene and taken to the Westmoreland County Prison.
While at the prison, police said Roman was belligerent and non-compliant with staff as they tried to strip-search and scan him.
Within hours of his release, prison staff said they noticed seven inmates showing signs of opioid use.
One of these inmates overdosed and died as a result, despite efforts to revive him. That person’s identity was not released.
Several other inmates reported that Roman was responsible for bringing the drugs into the facility, police say.
When police began investigating, they reported seeing surveillance video showing Roman fidgeting in his cell and removing something from his groin/rectal area. A search of his cell did not reveal any contraband at the time.
Another video showed Roman shaking the hand of another inmate in what police say was an exchange of contraband.
The case was brought to Westmoreland County’s Grand Jury, who then filed charges.
“This is the intended purpose of why we convened a grand jury in this county: to hear complex and complicated cases like this one,” DA Ziccarelli said. “I commend the jurors for their time, dedication, and consideration in recommending these criminal charges. ”
Roman has been denied bail.
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