Erie High fentanyl case moves quickly as student admits to charges in juvenile court
A swift resolution is on track in the case of an Erie High School student charged with having fentanyl and thousands of dollars in cash at the school in late August.
Eight days after the student was arrested following an incident at the high school, authorities said the student admitted to the charges at an adjudication hearing in the juvenile court division of Erie County Common Pleas Court on Thursday.
The student was accused of having 13.96 grams of fentanyl, possibly mixed with cocaine, and $3,100 in cash at Erie High on Aug. 31, the third day of classes for the Erie School District in the 2022-23 academic year, authorities said. The student was charged with possession with the intent to deliver and reckless endangerment, for having the drugs at a school.
The admission to the charges is the equivalent of a guilty plea in adult criminal court. By admitting to the charges at the adjudication hearing — or, in the parlance of juvenile court, admitting to the delinquent acts — the Erie High student cleared the way to be found delinquent and for a judge to hold a dispositional hearing at a later date.
Arrest:DA: Erie High student charged with having fentanyl, cash; case goes juvenile court
At a dispositional hearing, similar to sentencing in adult court, a juvenile can be sent to a residential facility or placed on probation, among other options. The student remains detained at the Edmund L. Thomas Adolescent Center in Millcreek Township.
Juvenile cases designed for quick resolutions
Proceedings in juvenile court typically move more swiftly than those in adult criminal court. State law requires an adjudication hearing, where an admission or other action can occur, to be held 10 days after a juvenile is detained. Due to the age of the juveniles, authorities usually want to get them set up for rehabilitative services as soon as possible.
Erie County Judge Erin Connelly Marucci held the hearing on Thursday. The judge declined the Erie Times-News' request to attend the hearing. She said the prosecution and the defense objected to the presence of a reporter at the hearing. Access to juvenile court hearings can be limited due to the age of the defendants, who are younger than 18.
Connelly Marucci's office confirmed the outcome of the hearing. The District Attorney's Office declined to comment because the case involves a juvenile. The defense could not be immediately reached for comment.
The District Attorney's Office has declined to provide the student's age or gender, citing confidentiality requirements for juvenile court matters. District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz released information on the charges following the arrest.
Erie School District committed 'to work together'
The Erie School District has declined to comment on the specifics of the case, but said in a statement following the arrest that "we are grateful for the immediate and professional response from our district police officers and for the cooperation of other law enforcement agencies."
The district also said, "an incident like this underscores the importance of the ongoing work we're doing to ensure the safety and security of our staff, students and families, and the need for us to work together as a community to address youth drug use and violence."
The arrest at Erie High, 3325 Cherry St., came as security measures, including metal detectors, were increased throughout the schools in the 10,000-student Erie School District in response to the shooting at Erie High in April. The student in that case, who injured another student, is being prosecuted as an adult due to the violent nature of the offense.
Safety measures:'As safe as it has ever been': Here are security upgrades at Erie High following shooting
Opioid crisis hits Erie
The drug arrest at Erie High signaled how far the opioid epidemic has reached in Erie.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. Often packaged in slow-release patches, fentanyl is also showing up on the street in Erie in pill form, and is being mixed with or passed off as other street drugs including heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, according to Erie police.
The percentage of drug deaths involving fentanyl has climbed steadily during the opioid crisis. The Erie County Coroner's Office first listed the drug as a contributing factor in its reports in 2016.
National issue:Erie County, DA office to receive first payments from landmark opioid settlement
County cases:Erie County's drug deaths jump in 2021: See the troubling trend
Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNpalattella.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Opioid crisis: Erie High student admits to having fentanyl, cash
