Man Who Injected Woman with Heroin Causing Her to Overdose Sentenced to Prison

A man who injected a woman with heroin causing her to overdose was sentenced today to two years in federal prison.

Richard Roberts, age 37, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 7, 2015 guilty plea to distribution of heroin.

In a plea agreement, Roberts admitted that, in August 2015, he injected a woman with heroin, after which she lost consciousness.  Roberts called 911 to obtain medical assistance.  When paramedics arrived, she was unconscious with labored breathing and a weak pulse.  Emergency responders had to revive the woman with Narcan, an opiate antidote.  Roberts admitted that, without the medical intervention by emergency responders, the woman had a substantial risk of anoxic brain injury and death.

Roberts was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade, who called Roberts’s crime and “extremely reckless act.”  Roberts was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment.  A special assessment of $100 was imposed.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Roberts is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA; the Linn County Sheriff's Office; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; the Iowa City Police Department; and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham. 

Court file information available https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 15-CR-79-LRR.

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