For his part in giving fentanyl to a teenage boy, a man from Northern Colorado was given 25 years in jail. Judge Daniel McDonald of the 8th Judicial District gave Samuel Strait his sentence on Tuesday afternoon.
Strait, who is 32 years old, was charged and found guilty of his part in the teen’s overdose death in 2022. CO CBS News has decided not to release the victim’s name because of his age.
Strait sold the fentanyl pills to the 15-year-old late at night in July 2022.
Investigators with the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force said the boy called Strait more than once to ask for fentanyl pills. Strait’s contacts called the boy a “Black boy” and said he had a past of drug abuse. Police say that shows he knew the boy was a child.
The age of the victim was called “the most egregious factor” in the case by the prosecutors.
Strait was seen shaking his head a few times during his Tuesday sentencing as if he didn’t believe or agree with what was happening. But before he was sentenced, he pleaded guilty in the case.
He sat and watched a screen while the boy’s family showed pictures of him. The family then showed pictures and videos of the boy in the ICU at Children’s Hospital Colorado after he overdosed to go along with their memories.
Strait just sat there and looked at the pictures and vids without making any facial expressions.
The family, the police, and the prosecutors all asked McDonald to give Strait the harshest possible sentence of 25 years in jail.
His lawyer said Strait had taken all the blame he could, and Strait’s father asked for some leeway because he said opioids had ruined his son’s good nature. His lawyer also said that Strait didn’t give him the drugs that killed the boy; instead, he gave them to someone else to deliver. The lawyer said that the person who sold the drugs should be responsible.
Strait is one of the first people in Colorado to be charged with a fentanyl overdose death under the state’s new “distribution of fentanyl resulting in death” law.
HB22-1326 is the law that was made in 2022 to make drug dealers more responsible. When it comes to the number of cases brought under the new law, Larimer County is one of the best in Colorado.
Strait’s lawyer said that the judge and the prosecutors were only interested in “show business” by letting a camera and reporter from CBS News Colorado cover the sentencing and enforcement of Colorado’s drug laws.
“This isn’t all about texting. Mr. Strait needs to pay his debts, Strait’s lawyer said.
Even though he was chained up and wearing an orange jumpsuit, Strait voluntarily spoke to the judge before being punished.
“I’m terribly ashamed and embarrassed to say my actions led to a 15-year-old getting his hands on a drug,” said Strait.
Strait said he understood how much stress he has caused for everyone.
“I truly do believe coming to jail saved my life and was the only way I could beat my addiction to heroin,” said Strait. “I’ll never live the way I did before.” When I get my next chance, I want to live a happy and healthy life.
The judge told Strait that the drug problem in the U.S. was like a “cancer” on society before giving him his sentence of 25 years in jail.
Strait looked upset, and as the sentence was read, he dropped his head for a moment.
