CLEARFIELD – A Morrisdale man already in state prison on drug charges will stand trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses, which resulted in the overdose death of a Clearfield man in 2019.
In June, the attorney general’s office filed four felony counts each of intimidating witness-refrain from report, intimidating witness-false or misleading testimony and intimidating witness- withhold testimony as well as felony possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance against Clint Addleman, 47.
The case was the subject of a grand jury investigation.
According to the presentment in the case, the investigation began after a man dropped Dalton Edward Cole off at Penn Highlands DuBois on June 13, 2019.
The man claimed he found Cole, 24 of Clearfield, lying in an alley behind a local restaurant. An autopsy revealed Cole had died of a multi-drug overdose including Fentanyl, Carfentanil and methamphetamine.
Police were able to find the man who told them the same story he gave to hospital personnel. After investigators reviewed surveillance video of that area, they realized his story was not true.
In a second interview, he admitted he got a call from Addleman’s girlfriend who asked for his help. When he got to their home, he saw Cole lying on the floor. He, another man and Addleman put Cole into his vehicle so he could take him to the hospital.
Before he left, Addleman questioned what he was going to say to the people at the hospital or to police. He told him he would make up a story about finding Cole in the street.
The second witness at the scene told police that when he arrived, he went to the basement where he saw Cole lying on the floor. Addleman was performing CPR. He told Addleman they needed to call 911.
Addleman advised him not to make the call and stated “no one was calling 911 or the ambulance.”
A woman who was waiting in the car for the second man was brought into the home because she was studying to be a nurse.
She was unable to find a pulse and after they turned him over, she noticed that blood was settling in his back, indicating he was dead.
When the first witness arrived to help them, they strapped Cole to a dolly, took him up the steps and put him in the vehicle, he testified.
About a month later, this witness said Addleman told him “that he had a guy in place that was going to take care of people who were talking.” Addleman also warned him that if he was buying drugs, he should be careful as it might be the same stuff that killed Cole.
The woman with the second male witness corroborated his account of the events of the evening.
She also confirmed that Addleman told them to keep quiet and almost had “his guy” show up to demonstrate what he would do to them if they told anyone what had happened to Cole.
Addleman’s girlfriend testified that Cole came to their residence that day and joined Addleman in the basement.
Later when she checked on them, she found them both passed out on chairs. She yelled at Addleman who eventually woke up, but he was slurring his words and appeared to be “messed up.”
She went upstairs to get wet rags to revive Cole, but when she went back downstairs, Addleman said Cole was fine. He told her not to call 911 because he and Cole both had drugs on them.
During the night as the others arrived, she said Addleman “was repeatedly telling everyone that the ambulance and 911 were not going to be called or asked to come to the residence.”
Cole’s girlfriend testified that she was taken to the home by Addleman’s girlfriend who was driving the car Cole had left at Addleman’s residence.
Earlier testimony indicated that Addleman was worried about her talking to someone because Cole was supposed to pick her up. She had been texting Cole and trying to call him. Therefore, Addleman had the other woman pick her up.
She was told Cole was taken to the hospital after he overdosed. Addleman assured her Cole was going to be fine. Addleman did not want her to go to the hospital, but eventually she and Addleman went there.
While in the parking lot, Addleman told her that Cole was found in an alley. Addleman did not want her going into the hospital, talking to police and “messing things up.”
She decided to go home where she got a call that Cole was deceased.
The next day, someone told her that Addleman said he wanted to kill her because she could be a witness against him.
She also testified that Cole was almost exclusively a methamphetamine user and did not like heroin or Fentanyl because his sister died of a Fentanyl drug overdose.
Cole was allegedly at Addleman’s residence to purchase $40,000 worth of methamphetamine. Testimony indicates Cole purchased a large quantity of drugs from Addleman at least five times prior to his death.
On Monday, Addleman waived his right to a preliminary hearing on these charges sending the case on to the court of common pleas. His bail remains at $200,000.
In March, Addleman was sentenced to serve 42 months to 10 years in state prison for conspiracy/possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance in one case, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance-methamphetamine in a second case, criminal trespass in a third and burglary in the last case.
In two of these cases, Addleman broke into police lots in an attempt to recover drugs hidden in vehicles seized by authorities.