3 Fort Collins residents arrested on suspicion of supplying fentanyl in fatal overdose

Sady Swanson, Fort Collins Coloradoan
Updated ·2 min read

Three Fort Collins residents have been arrested on suspicion of supplying the fentanyl that caused the overdose death of a Larimer County woman last summer.

On the morning of July 23, Larimer County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a residence in the 5400 block of North Highway 1, north of Fort Collins, after a man woke up and found his partner, 43-year-old Jessica Lange, dead.

Investigators found evidence of narcotics use at the residence, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. A toxicology report from the coroner's office revealed the woman had multiple drugs in her system at the time of her death, including methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Through months of interviews and collection of digital evidence to determine who may have supplied Lange the fentanyl pills that led to her fatal overdose, investigators identified three Fort Collins residents as suspects.

Those three suspects — 52-year-old Gary Brown, 36-year-old Diane Petryszyn and 42-year-old Roland Rideout — have been arrested and charged with unlawful distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, a Class 1 drug felony.

Sheriff's office investigators learned that Fort Collins Police Services had an active investigation into suspected drug activity involving Brown's home in the 600 block of Justice Drive in Midtown Fort Collins. During a search at that home Feb. 29, investigators say they located methamphetamine, several hundred fentanyl pills and three firearms.

In connection with this investigation, sheriff's office investigators also conducted a search warrant at another residence associated with these suspects — in the 3500 block of Windmill Drive in southwest Fort Collins — in August 2023. Investigators say they found what is considered user amounts of methamphetamine at that residence, according to the sheriff's office.

The Fort Collins Building Department condemned both homes for mitigation.

Brown, Petryszyn and Rideout were arrested following the search at the Justice Drive residence last month, according to the sheriff's office. Another person was arrested for misdemeanor controlled substance possession, an additional person was cited for misdemeanor controlled substance possession, and another person was arrested on two outstanding warrants, according to the sheriff's office.

“Fentanyl is destroying lives in our community, and we’ll continue working with our partners to hold dealers accountable,” Larimer County Sheriff's Office Investigations Capt. Bobby Moll said in the news release. “These distribution investigations are challenging and resource intensive, but every pill we get off the street is a potential life saved.”

Petryszyn remains in custody at the Larimer County Jail on a $500,000 bond. Brown and Rideout are also still in custody, both on $750,000 bonds. All three are scheduled to appear in court April 1.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.

Larimer County behavioral health resources

Editor's note: Due to a source error, the date investigators conducted a search at a residence in the 3500 block of Windmill Drive, the amount of illegal substances allegedly found during that search, and the date that some of the suspects were arrested were incorrect in a previous version of this story. The article has been updated.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins residents arrested for supplying fentanyl in fatal overdose