RAVENNA − A Streetsboro man will spend at least five years in prison for his part in a woman’s non-fatal drug overdose, in addition to trafficking in pills containing fentanyl.
Retired Judge John Enlow, filling in for Judge Laurie Pittman, sentenced Robert M. Schindler Jr., 22, to five to 7.5 years in prison on Monday during his sentencing hearing in Portage County Common Pleas Court.
Portage County Sheriff’s Office said it and Kent EMS responded after a passerby reported a woman was overdosing May 10, 2024, in a vehicle on State Route 59. The woman was revived when paramedics gave her two doses of Narcan. She was taken to University Hospitals Portage Medical Center for further treatment.
The sheriff’s office said Schindler admitted at the scene that he gave the woman fentanyl and trace amounts of a substance found in Schindler’s possession tested positive as the drug.
Schindler pleaded guilty in August to fifth-degree felony trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound. At the time of the plea deal, it was possible Schindler could receive intervention in lieu of conviction, meaning his conviction could have been vacated if he completed all requirements imposed by the court.
However, just two days after Schindler’s plea, an indictment was filed in a separate case alleging that he trafficked in drugs several times between Feb. 26, 2024 and March 19, 2024. Schindler pleaded guilty in January after another deal to three counts of second-degree felony trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound, with a forfeiture specification of $480.
Assistant Portage County Prosecutor Raymond Srp said Monday that the second group of charges stem from sales of about 300 pressed fentanyl pills to undercover Portage County sheriff’s investigators.
John Thomas Paris, Schindler’s attorney, said that all of Schindler’s actions could be traced to his own addiction struggles, resulting from involvement with “a crowd of people that were using” drugs. He said a prison sentence would make it more likely Schindler would be a repeat offender. He said it would be better to place Schindler into a treatment program, even an inpatient one.
“This man is a victim of his own addictions, his decisions,” said Paris, who pointed out Schindler is in treatment.
“He’s working on his recovery,” said Paris.
Paris also noted that each time Schindler sold drugs, he was not arrested. Paris said that if he’d been in custody, he would not have been involved in the overdose.
Schindler apologized in court and said wishes he had gotten help sooner.
“I would like to apologize to this court for my actions,” he told Enlow. “I wish I had done the things I needed to do to become a better person. I’m doing those things now.”
Srp said the trafficking charges require mandatory imprisonment and he requested a minimum of five to 7.5 years, with Enlow agreeing. Srp also said the the sheer number of pills involved in the second case warranted prison time.
“That’s a lot of pressed fentanyl pills to be released in Portage County,” he said.
Srp also said Schindler could not be immediately arrested because it took time to verify that the pills were an illegal substance through testing by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Enlow also ordered that Schindler pay $1,650 to the Portage County Sheriff’s Office as restitution for the drug buys. However, he suspended fines and court costs.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Streetsboro man gets prison for trafficking, non-fatal overdose