Woman sentenced to house arrest in OD death
A Westmoreland County woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to involuntary manslaughter in the 2016 overdose death of a Saxonburg man.
Tedilee Sweeney, 40, of Arnold, pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge before Butler County President Judge Thomas Doerr.
The plea agreement calls for a sentence of 2½ years in the county Intermediate Punishment Program, with the first year spent of house arrest with electronic monitoring, and supervision being transferred to Westmoreland County. She is also expected to be sentenced to fines and ordered to complete a drug and alcohol assessment and recommended treatment, at the hearing scheduled for Aug. 22.
Sweeny remains free after posting $50,000 bail the day after her arrest.
Sweeney was initially charged with felony drug delivery resulting in death, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communications facility and the misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter charge to which she pleaded, after the overdose death of 35-year-old Drew A. Lydick in Saxonburg on Aug. 15, 2016.
The drug delivery resulting in death charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
Saxonburg police said Sweeney and Lydick worked together at Super Cuts in Fox Chapel, Allegheny County, when she provided him with heroin that was found to contain fentanyl and led to Lydick's death.
Police said they found Lydick's body during a welfare check at his apartment on Horne Avenue, after his family reported that he had not been seen or heard from for two days.
A search of the apartment turned up 12 stamp bags with the name “Scorpion” and a picture of a scorpion stamped on them, as well as several bottles of prescription medication.
An autopsy subsequently ruled Lydick died of “combined drug toxicity” from fentanyl, antihistamine hydroxyzine, anxiety drug buspirone and antidepressant mirtazapine, documents said.
Police said during the investigation, Sweeney admitted that Lydick had asked her, by text, to help him get heroin, and she took him to a bar nearby her home to make the purchase.
