Man pleads guilty to charge related to minor’s suspected overdose
A Columbia man charged in connection to a Columbia teen’s suspected overdose pleaded guilty to charges related to the death Thursday.
28-year-old Jon Washington, also known as “Doom,” was indicted on charges of knowingly and intentionally distributing a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of heroin to a juvenile. He’s also accused ofknowingly opening and maintaining a room of the Providence Inn and Suites Motel in Columbia for the purpose of distributing and using heroin.
Washington pleaded guilty to the second charge of opening and maintaining a room for the purpose of distributing and using heroinin federal court Thursday.
According to a federal complaint, Washington allegedly gave heroin to 16-year-old Morgan Myers in April of 2014.
Myers was later found dead of an apparent heroin overdose in Providence Inn & Suites.
A confidential informant later reported that the heroin had been supplied by Washington and one other person, who was identified as “C-Bo” in asupporting affidavit.
During questioning with Columbia police, Washington admitted to police that he injected Morgan Myers with heroin.
Washington told police that after the initial heroin injection, “C-Bo” told him to inject her again as she was drifting in and out of consciousness. He did, and then left the motel room.
He returned and performed rescue breathing on Myers when a friend sent him a text message telling him she wasn’t doing well.
Washington apparently again left the motel room only to return around 4 a.m. and found Myers without a pulse, prompting him to call 911 and tell dispatchers that he found her unresponsive in his room.
According tocourt filings, Washington says he was the one to inject heroin into the girl, andthus, shouldn’t be guilty of distribution of the heroin. Distribution is typicallyreserved for those that sell heroin.
In court Thursday, prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to a plea deal of five years in prison for the charge. A federal judge will decide Washington’s sentence at a later sentencing hearing. That hearing has not yet been scheduled. If the judge rejects the five year sentence, Washington could back out of the plea agreement.
Washington did not plead guilty to the chargeof knowingly and intentionally distributing heroin to a juvenile in court Thursday. A federal judge is expected to drop that charge at Washington’s sentencing hearing.
