Pa. man gets 10 years for heroin and fentanyl sale that leads to a death

WILLIAMSPORT – A Columbia County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for providing the heroin and fentanyl that killed a Bloomsburg man in 2016.

The case “is an example how serious the opioid crisis is,” U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann said Tuesday in sentencing Jeffrey Scott Jones, 62, of Orangeville.

Jones had pleaded guilty in December to a charge of delivery of a controlled substance resulting in death and was facing a 20-year mandatory prison sentence.

He admitted selling David R. Dietz Jr., 27, three bags of heroin for $10 each the afternoon of July 28, 2016, in Scott Twp., just outside Bloomsburg.

Dietz was found unresponsive in a bathroom of The Press-Enterprise newspaper, where he was employed in the warehouse and died later despite given a shot of Narcon in an effort to reverse the effects of the drugs.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey W. MacArthur argued for an 18-year sentence, pointing out Jones was free on bail in an unrelated drug case when he sold heroin to Dietz.

He described Jones as a life-long drug user, noting he began using marijuana, methamphetamine and LSD when he was 16 and moved on to other drugs including heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine and PCP.

He got drugs in New York City and Hazelton and sold them in Bloomsburg, he said.

Donald R. Dietz Sr. tearfully told the judge how much the family still grieves. “This man took my son away from us,” he said. “I think he should pay.”

Instead, Brann chose to go with the recommendation of defense attorney Donald F. Martino for a 10-year sentence. He cited studies that show people Jones’ age are less likely to return to criminal ways when they get out of jail.

Jones, who will be given credit for 27 months, will be on supervised release for three years after his jail term.

Dietz declined comment on the sentence, saying nothing could bring back his son.

Jones in apologizing said he knew they were mere words but claimed they were from the heart.

“I’m not a bad person,” he said, but acknowledged he had a bad addiction. He lost everything including his home and dog because of his drug use, he said.