Trial set in Erie County Prison overdose case
A Washington man accused of causing the drug overdose death of an Erie County Prison inmate will stand trial in November.
Nathan Howard, 48, was formally arraigned Tuesday in Erie County Court on one felony charge of drug delivery resulting in death and four felony counts of contraband, which charge him with possessing the drugs in prison and furnishing them to three other inmates.
Howard, a public speaker who also goes by the name "Natural Tahuti," remains in jail on $500,000 bond.
At the brief hearing, Judge Shad Connelly said the trial would begin Nov. 10.
The case stems from a series of drug overdoses that took place in the prison in May.
Inmate Steven J. Burkhart, 35, overdosed the afternoon of May 2 and died at UPMC Hamot on May 5 of the combined effects of heroin and fentanyl, a powerful narcotic painkiller.
Two other inmates, Michael Dominick and Jonathan Amon, suffered separate nonlethal overdoses on April 28 and May 2, respectively.
According to court records, Howard had been placed in the Erie County Prison on April 27 after his arrest by Millcreek Township police on charges that he possessed with intent to deliver about 10 grams of suspected heroin and several other counts, including possession of drugs and possession of a prohibited firearm.
The prosecution claims Howard smuggled the drugs into the prison inside his body and then traded the drugs for prison commissary items.
According to prior testimony, Howard gave the drug to Dominick and Burkhart and Burkhart in turn gave a portion to Amon.
Erie County Detective Anthony Bozich has testified that the prison pod and its cells were searched after the overdoses, but no drugs were found. He said a candy wrapper was found in Burkhart's cell, and testing found it to contain fentanyl.
LISA THOMPSON can be reached at 870-1802 or by e-mail. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNthompson.