CHICORA — A Saxonburg borough police officer detailed what he saw when he responded to a residence where a man and woman had reportedly overdosed with three children in the home at a Tuesday, Jan. 27, preliminary hearing.

The children — ages 13, 2 and 1 — were already outside the Mitchell Hill Road residence of Nathan Kyle Frndak, 44, being tended to by East Butler Ambulance Service and the Herman Volunteer Fire Company when Saxonburg officer Nathan Oesterling arrived Oct. 23, he testified.

District Judge Lewis Stoughton held all charges against Frndak — including three felony counts of child endangerment, felony possession with intent to distribute a controlled substances and three misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment — for court.

Oesterling said the 13-year-old called 911 when his parents reportedly overdosed.

Oesterling said he entered the back door of the residence and found Frndak unconscious in a living room chair. He said Frndak kept saying everything was all right but showed signs of impairment.

Frndak said three times that emergency services were not welcome in the home when they were on scene, Oesterling testified.

Medics reportedly told Oesterling they saw drug paraphernalia such as syringes and stamp bags, commonly used in packaging controlled substances, on the floor in the area within reach of children, according to testimony.

Police then exited the residence to speak with Jessica Leigh Bisignano, 36, of Butler. She was also charged with three felony counts of child endangerment and three misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment but previously waived her preliminary hearing.

Oesterling said Bisignano asked if he was sure all of the children evacuated the residence, which led Oesterling to go back inside and search.

He said when searching the master bedroom, he found hundreds of stamp bags, both empty and full, and syringes all over the room. Some stamp bags had been packaged into bundles and bricks, he said.

A bundle typically is 10 stamp bags and a brick is usually 50 stamp bags.

After a search warrant was executed later, police found $670, hundreds of stamp bags, used syringes, scales, spoons and glass pipes with burned residue, multiple cellphones and laptops, and an unloaded handgun in the closet.

Police said Frndak was questioned on a different day than his arrest due to his reportedly impaired state.

Public defender Armand R. Cingolani III argued an individual cannot be arrested while being treated for an overdose, but assistant district attorney Zoe Kecskemethy said that only applies to possession of controlled substances charges.

Cingolani indicated he intends to file a motion for a suppression hearing, where a judge will determine if police gathered evidence legally.

Frndak’s formal arraignment is scheduled for 1 p.m. March 17 in Butler County Common Pleas Courtroom 5.