CLEARFIELD – A Reynoldsville man found guilty of drug delivery resulting in death will spend up to 20 years in state prison.
After a trial in Clearfield County Court in January, Mark Darren Shaffer, 46, was convicted of drug delivery resulting in death, delivery of a controlled substance, involuntary manslaughter, recklessly endangering another person and possession of a controlled substance.
The charges stem from an incident in July of 2014 when the victim, Ryan Rhone, received and used heroin from Shaffer while they were at the Curwensville Moose campgrounds. Within a few seconds after ingesting the drug the victim was unresponsive, according to testimony at the trial. For the full article on the trial, click here.
On Tuesday Shaffer was sentenced by President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman to 114 months to 20 years in state prison. For sentencing purposes, all of the charges merged into the drug delivery resulting in death charge.
Prior to sentencing, Mary Rhone, the step-mother of the victim addressed the court, reading from a written statement.
She explained that when they received the phone call that her step-son was being taken to the hospital, she thought it was for a heart attack, she said. As they arrived at the emergency room, they could hear Ryan’s mother screaming “Ryan, wake up!”
They were told he was brain dead and he died moments after the life-sustaining equipment was turned off.
She stated that when they found out it was a drug overdose she immediately said “that’s not Ryan.” She admitted he was a drinker, but he did not take drugs. She mentioned that when he previously suffered an injury he didn’t want to take pain pills because of the way they made him feel.
She went on to explain the impact of his death on the family.
“When Ryan left, he left a deep hole,” she said. Her husband has grown detached from life instead of being able to enjoy his retirement, she added.
If Shaffer had not been in contact with Ryan that night, she said, he would still be alive. She noted that Shaffer had a criminal history and had admitted he was a long-time drug addict.
He didn’t learn anything from his prior incarceration and when he was released, went back to using drugs, she stated. She asked Ammerman to give him the maximum sentence.
District Attorney William A. Shaw Jr. stated that this was “the worst case scenario” and asked the judge to give an appropriate sentence.
Mike Marshall, attorney for Shaffer, asked the judge to take into consideration that his happened as two friends partied together. He said there is a difference between that and a drug dealer supplying drugs to the victim.
Ammerman detailed Shaffer’s prior history of drug use beginning with a delivery of a controlled substance charge in 1995 in Jefferson County. He stated that Shaffer received time served and probation sentences in these other cases and referred to that as “a joke.”
“I think the jury sent a message that if you and your friends are doing drugs and dealing with these dangerous illegal substances, that you can be held responsible,” Ammerman said.
He commented on how the number of heroin cases in the county has increased in recent years. “This heroin stuff is a curse on our society,” he said.
