A Pennsylvania inmate is being held responsible for selling fentanyl, which prosecutors claim caused another prisoner’s overdose death.
Allen Rhoades, 31, was sentenced to seven to twenty years in prison for the killing of Joshua Patterson, who was discovered comatose in his jail cell in August 2022.
Patterson died after a deadly fentanyl overdose, according to the Bucks County Coroners Office. He was 22 years old at the time.
Investigators found that Rhodes had smuggled fentanyl and methamphetamine into the prison after detaining him on outstanding warrants.
Prosecutors say Rhodes sold or traded drugs with other convicts in exchange for food and commissary items.
Police found eight bundles in Rhodes’ cell, including nine bags of methamphetamine and 123 wax packets of suspected heroin.
Investigators examined Patterson’s cell after he died and discovered a transparent bag and a makeshift straw containing powder that subsequently tested positive for fentanyl.
Rhodes was also required to serve ten years on probation and pay $3,000 in reparations in addition to his prison sentence.
