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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A Dallas man is charged with giving a woman the drugs that led to her overdose death &#8212; now the third person in the county to be charged under a law change that makes it easier for prosecutors to go after alleged suppliers.</p><p>David Haines, 30, delivered the fentanyl-laced heroin that resulted in the death of Gale Avery, authorities say. Police also allege Haines tampered with evidence.</p><p>&#8220;Our office is actively seeking to prosecute those individuals who are selling or delivering drugs in our neighborhoods that continue to menace our community and poison our residents,&#8221; District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said in a press release. &#8220;It is our hope that this message will resonate with these criminals and deter them from selling drugs in our county.&#8221;</p><p>According to a complaint:</p><p>Police were called to a residence on Poplar Street in Dallas Township at 8:23 a.m. June 19 for an unresponsive female, later identified as Avery. Upon arrival, responders found her slumped on a recliner in the living room.</p><p>She was declared dead at approximately 9:12 a.m. by a deputy coroner.</p><p>Police say Haines lived at the home, and showed them numerous items of drug paraphernalia, including hypodermic needles and used packets stamped with logos that read &#8220;Call of Duty&#8221; and &#8220;Power Hour.&#8221;</p><p>Haines initially gave misleading statements before confessing he bought the drugs that resulted in Avery&#8217;s death.</p><p>Haines told police both he and Avery were IV drug users, and Avery had contacted him June 18, the day before her death, saying she was &#8220;dope sick&#8221; and needed a fix.</p><p>Haines said he picked up Avery sometime between 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Beekman Street in Wilkes-Barre, before calling his dealer, identified as &#8220;Shue,&#8221; to buy a brick of heroin. A brick consists of about 50 bags of heroin, authorities say. It cost Haines $200.</p><p>After the deal was completed, Haines gave Avery approximately 10 of the bags. Haines and Avery returned to the Poplar Street home, where they injected heroin until sometime between 2 and 2:30 a.m.</p><p>Haines told police he knew the heroin had been cut with fentanyl, saying &#8220;I knew it had fentanyl in it because I tasted it, and it had that fentanyl (expletive) taste to it.&#8221; Haines said he warned Avery to be careful due to the fentanyl, which Salavantis has said is 100 times more potent than morphine.</p><p>Haines also confessed he had discarded some evidence.</p><p><strong>Previous cases</strong></p><p>An autopsy performed on Avery showed the state of her lungs was consistent with symptoms of a fentanyl overdose. Her cause of death was listed as a cardiorespiratory arrest due to the combination of fentanyl, morphine, acetyl fentanyl and cocaine.</p><p>Powder found in the &#8220;Call of Duty&#8221; packets in Haines&#8217; residence was sent to the State Police Crime Lab for analysis. Results confirmed the powder contained both heroin and fentanyl.</p><p>Haines is the third person in Luzerne County to face the charge of drug delivery resulting in death.</p><p>Eric Scott Malia and Joan Rosengrant, both of Wilkes-Barre, were charged in April, marking the first arrests of their kind in county history. State law was changed several years ago, eliminating a requirement to prove alleged dealers had malicious intent to charge them in a death.</p><p>Malia and Rosengrant were accused in the January overdose of 32-year-old Michael Gumaer. An autopsy confirmed he died due to the combined effects of heroin and fentanyl.</p><p>Rosengrant died in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility on July 7. Her death was ruled accidental; it was caused by the combined effect of prescription drugs complicated by her unspecified physical condition.</p><p>Malia has a formal arraignment scheduled for Oct. 5.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Times Leader staff</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Luzerne County DA: Man faces charge of drug delivery resulting in death