A Perrysburg man who provided drugs to a friend who then overdosed has been sentenced.
Thomas Patterson, 34, appeared Tuesday in the courtroom of Wood County Common Pleas Judge Matt Reger.
Defense attorney Christopher Zografides asked for a sentence of community control, stating his client had no prior criminal record.
Patterson was indicted in May for corrupting another with drugs, specifically heroin, after causing harm to another man on March 17, 2022.
The offense was a second-degree felony. He pleaded guilty to an amended corrupting another with drugs charge, which was a fourth-degree felony.
He tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl after appearing for arraignment on June 6. He was taken to jail and later was granted furlough to seek treatment.
Patterson’s substance abuse started with alcohol, then daily marijuana usage followed by cocaine and daily heroin usage, Zografides said.
“He didn’t take it seriously,” he said about his client’s prior attempt to get sober.
When his friend overdosed, Patterson called 911, Zografides said.
“His drug use directly affected his friend and almost killed him. It’s his fault,” he said about his client.
Patterson is currently in sober living and has been sober for 170 days, “the longest in the last eight years of his life,” Zografides said.
“Drugs have completely destroyed my life,” Patterson said.
He said his drug usage has negatively impacted his family and almost took his friend’s life.
Patterson explained his friend “was black-out drunk” when he grabbed the drugs that were in his car,
“Drugs were normal for me in my car every day,” he said.
He said he had no intent to relapse.
“I’m happy for the first time in forever,” he said.
If you don’t relapse, you’ll be the first addict to ever do so, Reger said.
He sentenced Patterson to five years on community control in the intensive supervision probation program with 200 hours of community service.
If he has no offenses in the first year, his community control sentence will drop to four years. No offenses after two years, the sentence will drop to three years.
