Charges withdrawn, refiled against two accused of OD in presence of children
Charges against a man and woman, who allegedly overdosed in the presence of children in a Summit Township home, were withdrawn and refiled after a search warrant was executed on the home.
Nathan Kyle Frndak, 44, and Jessica Leigh Bisignano, 36, are accused of overdosing while two children around 2 years old and a 13-year-old boy were in the residence on Mitchell Hill Road, according to new charges filed Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 15 and 16.
The two are both facing three felony counts of child endangerment and three misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, and Frndak is additionally facing one felony count of possession with intent to deliver controlled substances.
In the previous charges filed Oct. 24, the two also faced one misdemeanor count each of controlled substance possession and drug paraphernalia possession. The counts were removed in place of Frndak’s felony controlled substances charge.
A search warrant executed after the two had been arrested uncovered 137.65 grams of suspected fentanyl or heroin, 28 unidentified pills, 13 cellphones, 10 glass smoking pipes, five digital scales, $670 in cash, a Taurus 357 magnum revolver, multiple ID cards and many differently labeled stamp bags, which are commonly used for packaging controlled substances.
Police said the night of the incident, the 13-year-old boy who called 911.
Emergency services arrived to find Bisignano and Frndak unconscious on a bed, and they woke up when pulled onto the floor, according to the affidavit. Police said Frndak tried to leave at first, then asked first responders to leave before he was placed in handcuffs.
Police confirmed the pair had ingested controlled substances then searched the home, looking for evidence in plain view before securing the search warrant. In the rear bedroom, police said they found large amounts of stamp bags in the drawer of a large cash register and scattered around the room.
When later executing the search warrant, police additionally found dirty syringes and stamp bags scattered throughout the children’s clothing in dresser drawers. Stamp bags were also found mixed in with baby diapers.
Police were only able to access three of the cellphones, as the rest had cracked and broken screens, they said. Police said they found evidence to support Frndak had been delivering controlled substances.
Responding agencies included Saxonburg police, Butler City police, state police, Butler Ambulance Service, East Butler EMS and Herman Volunteer Fire Company.
Preliminary hearings for the two are scheduled for 9:45 a.m. Jan. 13 before District Judge Lewis Stoughton.
