CLEARFIELD, Pa. – President Judge Paul E. Cherry sentenced Dennis W. Demoss to state prison Wednesday for his part in the death of a teen.
A jury found Demoss, 38 of Munson, guilty in April of felony charges of drug delivery resulting in death, endangering the welfare of children and criminal use of communication facility, as well as misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter, corruption of minors and recklessly endangering another person in connection with the overdose death of a teenage boy in Morris Township in August 2022.
Cherry sentenced him to serve a total of 11 to 22 years in state prison, according to District Attorney Ryan Sayers.
Testimony during the trial revealed that Demoss was staying at the same residence as the victim, Blake Gooch, when he said the 15-year-old complained of a headache. He told investigators that he gave the victim ibuprofen.
According to the affidavit, a juvenile witness told investigators she entered the basement bedroom and saw Blake asleep, but his eyes were open and “rolling in the back of his head” and he was snoring weirdly. She asked Demoss about this, and he said Blake was fine and just sleeping. She left the home and about an hour later, she saw an ambulance drive past her to the residence.
Another juvenile witness told police he saw Blake sleeping while a foamy white and red substance was coming from his mouth and he was breathing “weird”. He woke up Demoss who was also asleep there, to tell him something was wrong, but Demoss brushed it off.
Emergency personnel related that Blake was completely unresponsive and in a “dire situation” when they arrived. No one at the scene was able to provide information on what he had taken other than he was smoking some marijuana.
The victim suffered a cardiac arrest while being loaded into the ambulance. Medical personnel were able to bring him back using CPR and a special device that did chest compressions for them. He was also given Narcan since they believed his reaction was to some type of illicit drug.
He was taken by helicopter to UPMC Children’s Hospital. He was placed on a ventilator en route and declared brain dead a few days later.
Trooper Brett Bailor of the state police crime lab in Erie was also called as a witness and testified regarding a pill bottle marked as Ibuprofen found at the home. He explained there was a powder or residue in it which tested positive for fentanyl and an acetyl of fentanyl.
The victim’s cause of death was listed as fentanyl toxicity.
For a report on the final day of the trial, click here.
