Despite calls for leniency, woman charged in boyfriend's overdose sent to York County Prison

On Aug. 8, 2019, Samantha Criswell gave her boyfriend, Tracy Beck, methamphetamine, at a home in Lower Windsor Township.

Meanwhile, Beck gave her what turned out to be fentanyl, an opioid that’s significantly more powerful that morphine.

They both used drugs. Criswell woke up. Beck did not.

Next, Criswell administered naloxone, an opioid antidote that’s marketed under the brand name Narcan, started CPR and called 911. But it was to no avail. Beck, 22, had died of mixed substance toxicity.

The Lower Windsor Township Police Department later arrested Criswell on charges including drug delivery resulting in death. Prosecutors dropped the offense as part of a plea agreement.

“Samantha was an easy target for the police,” Brandy Lehr, Beck’s mother, said on Monday in the York County Judicial Center, as she voiced her disagreement with the prosecution. “Prison’s not going to help her.”

Later, Lehr’s best friend, Deanna Seiple, urged the judge to show leniency toward Criswell and stated, “Help her. Please. She needs it.”

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Though she noted the existence of mental health conditions and history of substance abuse, President Judge Maria Musti Cook later sentenced Criswell, 31, formerly of Marietta, Lancaster County, on charges of involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child to serve 11 1/2 to 23 months in York County Prison — plus two years’ probation. She must take part in inpatient treatment.

Cook said the sentencing guidelines called for a punishment that started at anywhere from nine to 16 months.

Police, she said, found Criswell’s 1-year-old son playing with drug paraphernalia during their investigation.

“It is quite fortunate that the child was also not a victim in the sense of ingesting some of the illegal substances in the home,” Cook said.

Check out this three-part series about drug delivery resulting in death in York County:

• Part I: Her death from a heroin overdose at age 21 was a tragedy. And it was a crime.

• Part II: Following the trail: This is what an investigation into a heroin overdose death looks like.

• Part III: 'They didn't let her killer get away': Heroin takes a life; a drug dealer stands trial.

Criswell’s attorney, Chief Public Defender Bruce Blocher, asked the judge to order his client to participate in inpatient treatment to address her mental health conditions and substance use disorder.

Blocher said his client has experienced “almost every kind of abuse a human being can endure.” He noted that she’s currently going to counseling.

Criswell said she was experiencing a lot of emotions but made a brief statement in court.

“I never thought that this would’ve happened,” she said. “A lot of people don’t think about that, including myself, when we get high.”

She said she has been finding a lot of information out about herself. Criswell said she’s suffered for a long time but is a strong person and wants to move forward in her life.

READ: 'I didn't win:' Man found not guilty in fatal overdose in York County reflects on prosecution

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Steph Lombardo acknowledged the position that Beck’s loved ones took in the case.

“Your honor, I can’t imagine the pain and the difficult situation Tracy’s family finds themselves in,” Lombardo said. “I respect their compassion and their statements to your honor.”

Lombardo agreed that Criswell needed inpatient treatment that addresses both her mental health and substance use. But Lombardo said she also believed that jail time was warranted.

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Criswell sobbed and pleaded with the judge after being ordered to immediately begin serving her sentence.

Two deputy sheriffs then escorted her out of the courtroom and into a holding cell to await transport to York County Prison.

Contact Dylan Segelbaum at 717-771-2102.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Drug-induced homicide: York County woman sentenced in boyfriend's death