Man sentenced to 25 years in prison for role in selling fatal dose of fentanyl to Loveland teen – Loveland Reporter-Herald

Samuel Strait was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in prison for his role in selling a fatal dose of fentanyl to a Loveland teenager in 2022.

Strait, 31, appeared before Judge Daniel McDonald in 8th District Court about seven months after pleading guilty to distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, a Class 1 drug felony. While Strait decided in January to ask the eventual withdrawal of his plea, he ultimately decided to follow through on the plea deal and face sentencing.

Strait was arrested in late 2022 for providing fentanyl to a 15-year-old Loveland boy who was found unconscious and not breathing on his bed at his home in the 1300 block of North Washington Avenue. First responders made life-saving efforts and the teen was transported to McKee Medical Center before being airlifted to Children's Hospital in Aurora where he was later pronounced dead, according to the affidavit of Strait's arrest.

At sentencing, Strait's defense argued that although he accepted his role in the death, he claimed he was not the one who directly gave the teen the drugs.

Statements from family and law enforcement

Major Case Prosecutor Lynzi Maas of the 8th Judicial District Attorney's Office began sentencing Tuesday by calling several members of the 15-year-old's family and reading a written statement from two of his aunts.

“People ask a lot what it was like and how we're coping,” said Ariel Doumbouya, the boy's stepmother, who also showed photos of him throughout his life as well as when he was to the hospital. “The truth is it was horrible, it was devastating and there are so many other words I could never capture.”

Jordan Parker, the boy's stepfather, said he understands the impact addiction can have on a family because his father was a drug addict. He described the boy as his own son, saying they first met while playing with Pokémon cards and fondly remembered the memories they shared.

He said that although the 15-year-old struggled with addiction and his family did their best to help him, community stakeholders provided him with the drugs that would ultimately kill him. He described Strait's conviction as a milestone, being one of the few death distribution cases that resulted in a conviction since the passage of the Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention Bill in 2022.

“I’m the son of a drug addict, I’m the father of a drug addict,” he said. “I suffer so much from the losses that addiction has created in my life.”

Rachel Lundquist, the boy's mother, spoke through tears Tuesday, often stopping to catch her breath before continuing. She described her son as a boy “so full of life and light and spirit” and someone people wanted to befriend immediately after meeting.

She also said that she was the one who found him that morning, adding that the state of shock she went into that day was something she had never experienced before.

“If I could take it all back, I would. I would give him my life to save his. I can’t,” she said. “Then I beg you, help him now. Help him by giving him a voice so others can hear the sound of his call. Condemn this man to the fullest. Please condemn him as he wishes and show myself and everyone else watching this that (this) injustice does not go unnoticed or unnoticed.

Maas also called Detective Rob Knab of the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force, who investigated the case. He argued there were several aggravating factors, including the fact that Strait knew the victim was a minor.

“When someone makes the choice to impose and encourage this dependency on others, especially a child…. this is where we must take firm and decisive action,” he said.

Philip Strait, Samuel's father, was the only person to speak on behalf of the accused, other than Samuel Strait himself. He began by offering his condolences to the boy's family before describing Samuel.

“I can only say that deep down he is a good young man,” he said. “He was a good student, a good athlete, he was very popular and he was known for his calm and composure. And then opioids came along. It just seemed to rob him of all common sense.

As he walked away from the podium, Philip Strait quickly turned to the defense table to tell his son he loved him.

Lawyer's arguments and Strait's statement

Maas began her argument by saying she couldn't better illustrate the damage the 15-year-old's death had done to her family and instead wanted to turn to Strait himself.

She said Strait was on probation at the time of the incident for threats and assault. During that time, not only did he become involved in the case that led to his conviction Wednesday, but he also demonstrated a “gross inability” to comply with the conditions of probation, missing at least 20 tests urine as well as a failure to engage in substance use. treatment, Maas said.

She said that even though the defense and prosecution reached a plea deal accepting that Strait was complicit in the boy's death by arranging the drug deal that supplied him with fentanyl, that does not negate or limit his guilt.

“There remains a critical part of the supply chain that put fentanyl in the hands of a child,” she said.

She also said that in his current investigation report, Strait deflects and downplays his actions, naming other people by nicknames who he believes were responsible for what happened, but providing no substantive information to their subject.

Maas ultimately requested that McDonald sentence Strait to 25 years in the Department of Corrections, saying it was the only sentence that brought justice to those involved.

“Mr. Strait's actions and the decisions and choices he made over a seven-month period show that he also poses a danger to those around him,” she said.

Troy Krenning, Strait's lawyer, argued that the conviction would achieve no good and that there would be no outcome that would bring the boy back to life, describing it as “a terribly sad place to be.” .

He said Strait took as much responsibility as he could by pleading guilty and sharing what he knew about the night of the incident.

“It is not the case that the cartel must be brought before the court to determine the sentence,” he said. “This is a case of a sick addict interacting with a community of sick addicts and, sadly, sadly and heartbreakingly, a young man, who had not even started his life and yet was afflicted of this terrible, horrible disease we call addiction.”

Krenning said he filed a report with the court in which he was reluctant to share details but directly named others involved in the case, adding that it showed Strait was not the person who handed out pills of fentanyl to the 15-year-old. He said it was clear “in black and white” who handed the boy the drugs, but they had not been arrested or charged, adding that no arrest warrant had even been filed for that person. person he did not name.

He ultimately asked McDonald to impose a sentence of between eight and 25 years in prison.

“If anyone really thinks that the sentence you impose will act as a deterrent to the countless drug addicts and those who will be using fentanyl tonight and selling fentanyl, if anyone thinks that you are sending a message of deterrence to these people, unfortunately, they are wrong,” he said. “It’s not about sending messages, it’s about Mr. Strait paying his dues. be responsible for what he did and his involvement.

Strait, speaking on his own behalf, first addressed the boy's family, saying he was ashamed and embarrassed that the boy was given fentanyl that night.

“This will be a burden on my heart forever, and I hope today’s sentencing brings you some sort of closure and healing,” he said.

He also said he believed his arrest saved his life and was the only way to beat his addiction. He said he hoped to make his parents proud as long as they remained in his life.

The McDonald's decision

McDonald said Krenning “hit the nail on the head” when he said the sentencing was a deep sadness.

“I think everyone would agree that our country is suffering from a complete cancer, which is being eaten away from the inside by drugs, particularly right now, fentanyl,” he said.

He ultimately sentenced Strait to 25 years in prison for the distribution resulting in a death charge.

Strait was also convicted in two other cases, one in which he pleaded guilty to aggravated motor vehicle theft, a Class 6 felony; and a revocation case stemming from a 2021 incident in which he pleaded guilty to felony menacing with a real or simulated weapon, a Class 5 felony; and third-degree assault causing injury, a class 1 misdemeanor, which resulted in a deferred sentence with 30 months of probation

For those cases, McDonald sentenced Strait to three years in prison for the motor vehicle theft charge and revoked the deferred sentence in the 2022 assault and menacing case and sentenced him to three years of jail for the menacing charge and 24 months in county jail for the assault charge.

All cases will run concurrently and reflect 523 days of credit for time served.