A December trial is set for a Superior man accused of providing heroin to a woman who overdosed in front of him, and then doing nothing when she stopped breathing.
Vincent Ryan King, 22, waived a preliminary hearing in Douglas County Circuit Court, and court papers detailing the trial date were filed last week.
King faces felony charges of delivery of heroin, possession of heroin and first-degree recklessly endangering safety. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of receiving stolen property and four counts of felony bail jumping.
The charges stem from incidents that took place outside the Superior Public Library on the evening of July 29.
According to the criminal complaint:
Superior Police Officer Marc Letendre responded to a report of a female who was not breathing and turning blue on the sidewalk on the west side of the library. Letendre began rescue breathing, noting that the woman had a strong pulse but was not breathing on her own. He continued rescue breathing until Superior Fire Department first responders took over.
Within minutes, she began to breathe on her own and regained consciousness.
The woman told officers that King had drawn up a syringe with an unknown quantity of heroin and given it to her in her vehicle, which was parked in the library parking lot. After taking the heroin, she exited the vehicle and collapsed.
King was observed at the library during the incident. He was acting nervous and jittery, walking toward the woman, then away numerous times. King was carrying a bag of items with security tags on them, making them appear stolen.
The Superior man admitted to Officer Gregory Swanson that he had purchased heroin, “dosed” with the woman in her vehicle and purchased from another man some items that he knew to be stolen. During the interview, King told the officer he has witnessed 12 overdoses.
A witness who made the 911 call about the incident told officers that he observed King concealing something in the bushes on the library property during the resuscitation efforts. Letendre found a baggie containing heroin and a number of anti-theft tags.
Another man was picked up a short time later in response to a separate 911 call, according to the complaint. He appeared to be high on opiates, and heroin was found in the bag he was carrying. When questioned by police, the man said he injected heroin with King and the woman in the vehicle at the library, then got out and left the area. The man was transported to the intensive care unit at a Duluth hospital for observation due to his condition. He told police that King was the one who supplied the heroin and later thanked Letendre for picking him up and bringing him to a hospital.
Online court records indicate no charges have been filed against the man who was hospitalized or the woman who overdosed.
King is facing separate drug-related charges in Douglas County Circuit Court, including delivery of heroin, theft, possession of narcotic drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia, stemming from four previous incidents.
He is free on a $2,000 cash bond. As a condition of his bond, he is not to use or possess any controlled substances or paraphernalia. A pretrial conference is set for Nov. 14 with a trial scheduled
Dec. 16.
