Multiple suspects charged after fatal fentanyl overdose in Franklin County

Carley Bonk
Chambersburg Public Opinion

Five suspects have been charged in connection with a fatal drug overdose in a Greencastle apartment in January.

Shane Gates, 23, of Greencastle, and Waynesboro residents Brandon Bowers, 36; Tiana Lescalleet, 32; Dyllan Wright, 25; and Johnathon Smalls, 26, have been charged with drug delivery resulting in death and additional felony charges, court records show. 

Police allege Bowers obtained fentanyl capsules in Baltimore, often with the help of Lescalleet. Court documents describe how the capsules were allegedly passed to other defendants before at least one ultimately made it to the victim. 

Trevor Witmer, 25, was found dead in the bedroom of an apartment on Carlisle Street by Greencastle police at about 9:37 a.m. on Jan. 28. 

Two iPhones were seized from Witmer's bedroom. A capped insulin syringe was collected from the top of the dresser. Police also identified a "clear capsule containing a white powder" on a shelf in the bedroom. Additional capsules and other drug paraphernalia were collected from the apartment.

An autopsy the next day determined Witmer died from an overdose of fentanyl. 

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Drug bust turns up first suspect

On Feb. 3,a search warrant for drugs was executed at 309 Green Street, Waynesboro.  Smalls was located in the basement of the residence with several capsules of fentanyl and a large sum of cash. 

During an interview at Waynesboro Police Department, Smalls said he sold to a select few people. Smalls said he got his heroin from "a white guy by the first name of Brandon, but he did not know his last name," according to court records. He said Brandon was bald and had a beard. 

Police later interviewed individuals with close ties to Witmer, and they said they believed he had previously purchased heroin from Smalls, according to court documents. One of these people said that on the day Witmer's body was found, Smalls had called multiple people asking how he died. 

Someone close to Witmer also told police that he used drugs with a friend named Fischer Barnhart. 

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Finding the source

On Feb. 13, police served a warrant on Barnhart, alleging he had passed off a noncontrolled substance as heroin to a confidential informant a few months before, court records show. 

Police asked Barnhart if he knew anything about the death of Witmer. He became "very emotional and began crying and stated Witmer was his best friend," according to court documents.

He went on to say, "Everybody knows it was Dyllan (Wright)." He said Gates had driven Witmer to the Turkey Hill in Waynesboro, where Witmer bought drugs from Wright.  He said he knew this because Gates told him. 

Shane Gates

Barnhart also said he knew Wright was selling capsules of fentanyl that originated out of Baltimore, according to court documents. Wright did this with or for Smalls, police suspect. Barnhart said he has bought drugs from both Wright and Smalls.

Wright was interviewed at Waynesboro Police Department on Feb. 24. 

Dyllan Wright

Wright described Witmer as a close friend. He told police that he was worried about Witmer's drug use, but denied being the source of the drugs that resulted in Witmer's overdose.

He said he had been with Gates the day before Witmer died to pick up marijuana. After the interview, he came back to the police department and said he had sold fentanyl to Gates, who then sold it to Witmer, according to court documents. 

Wright said he got the fentanyl from Bowers, having bought 10 capsules. He then gave two of the fentanyl capsules to Gates, one of which was for Witmer, according to court documents. 

Funneling drugs from Baltimore

On April 24, police interviewed Lescalleet. They said they wanted to discuss Bowers and the distribution of fentanyl.

Lescalleet and Bowers dated for three years, but separated before Witmer's death. Lescalleet got involved in fentanyl distribution because she is an addict and it was a way to supply her habit, according to police. 

Tiana Lescalleet

Bowers had other people distributing drugs for him as well, Lescalleet told police. Bowers would give her 10 to 20 capsules at a time to sell.

On certain occasions, Lescalleet would accompany Bowers to Baltimore to pick up drugs. Neither had a driver's license. Lescalleet said she would drive when Bowers got "sketched out." She described herself as "pretty much his guinea pig," court records state. 

When Bowers was arrested, she took his place in the distribution ring, according to court documents. Bowers told Lescalleet how to transport drugs from Baltimore using magnetic boxes that would stick to the underside of the vehicle.

Bowers would direct business through Lescalleet from jail with phone calls and letters. Police confirmed this through an intercepted phone call, according to court records.

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Brandon Bowers

Bowers had been selling fentanyl for almost three years, police discovered. He was getting about 120 capsules every other day on average for $6 a piece. Police determined that Bowers profited a minimum of $101,040 in untaxed cash.

Lescalleet told police that both Smalls and Wright bought fentanyl from Bowers, according to court documents. Smalls would buy at least 20 capsules every other day or so. She said Bowers cut Wright off because Wright had sold to somebody who gave it to another person who ended up dying.

Smalls, Gates, Wright, Bowers and Lescalleet have been placed in Franklin County Jail and denied bail. 

The five defendants are scheduled to appear before Magisterial District Judge Duane Cunningham for preliminary hearings on Sept. 14. 

Barnhart pleaded guilty in March to selling a noncontrolled substance in place of a controlled substance and received a minimum sentence of time served, with the potential for 23 months' imprisonment if he violates the terms of his parole. 

Clarification: The wording in part of this story was changed to eliminate the identities of people close to the victim. 

Carley Bonk is a Watchdog Reporter for the USA Today Network - Pennsylvania. Her coverage spans across the southcentral region of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at cbonk@publicopinionnews.com or on Twitter at @carls_marie.