Sonora, CA — Two Groveland youths are facing numerous charges following the death of a 19 year old Groveland male this summer.
On August 18th the youth died of an overdose of methadone. In addition he had a blood alcohol content of .16 which is twice the legal limit.
19 year old Grace Elizabeth Carder supplied the youth with the methadone she had stolen from a cancer patient. On December 13 Carder, charged with petty theft, possession of a controlled substance and supplying a controlled substance to another individual, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing setting according to Tuolumne County District Attorney Donald Segerstrom.
19 year old Nicholas Jordan Fereria will be charged at that same hearing with possession of a controlled substance.
Carder and Fereria will probably face minimum sentences as they are both first time offenders.
Segerstrom adds that the use of prescription drugs is rampant among young adults. In the case of methadone, it´s a drug that if used improperly can cause suffocation as it did in this case. Segerstrom says regardless of age, anyone illegaling using drugs such as methadone or vicadin, will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Segerstrom says it is imperative that parents communicate the dangers of these drugs to their children.
Written by Bill Johnson
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 1:50 pm