Bail modification denied in drug death case
A bail reduction for a Brady Township man charged with providing the fentanyl-laced heroin to a 33-year-old man who died of an overdose in 2015 was denied Tuesday in Butler County Court.
Justin O. Newman, 29, remains held on a combined $105,000 bail in three cases, after Judge William Shaffer denied the reduction request.
Newman was charged after the Sept. 16, 2015, death of Joshua Lee Stitt of Donegal Township.
Newman's attorney, Joseph Charlton, argued that Newman has “strong ties to this community” because he has lived here for the past 20 years and his family lives in the area. He asked for $100,000 unsecured bail, house arrest with electronic monitoring or pretrial supervision, which Shaffer denied.
Deputy Attorney General Patrick Schulte, who is prosecuting the case, argued that Newman has a history of not showing up to court hearings.
Read more about this case in Wednesday's Butler Eagle.
