A man was charged Monday with giving drugs to another man, who later collapsed and died.
Alan R. Pedrick, 26, of Gap, was charged with delivering drugs to Steven C. Gilmore, 23, state police Trooper Jerry Sauers said.
Gilmore collapsed early Sept. 19 at a party in Salisbury Township. He was taken by ambulance to Brandywine Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Several hours before he collapsed, Gilmore was involved in an altercation at a Gap bar, where he became unruly and got into a scuffle with a bouncer, according to police. That incident led to questions about what had caused his death.
However, an autopsy showed that Gilmore did not suffer a traumatic brain injury that evening. Instead, he died from the adverse effects of drugs, according to a toxicology report by Chester County forensic pathologist Dr. Erica Williams.
In particular, Gilmore had buprenorphine, a drug used to treat heroin addiction, in his system.
A witness at the party saw Pedrick bring pills to the party that Gilmore also attended on the night of his death, Sauers said. The witness saw Pedrick crush one of the pills and saw Gilmore snort it, according to Sauers.
Within about 20 minutes, Gilmore became ill, and someone called an ambulance, Sauers said.
Though Pedrick gave the drug to Gilmore shortly before Gilmore's death, Sauers said, there was insufficient evidence to charge Pedrick with death by drug delivery.
Pedrick, who did not have a prescription for buprenorphine, did not disclose to police where he got the drug.
Pedrick was arrested at his home Monday. He was committed to Lancaster County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail.