Hobart sister, brother charged with drug overdose death * Story
* Discussion
By Deborah Laverty -
deborah.laverty@nwi.com, (219) 762-1397, ext. 2223 | Posted: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 12:00 am | No Comments Posted
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HOBART | A 31-year-old Hobart woman was charged Tuesday in connection with the death of a man after she allegedly injected him with a lethal dose of heroin, police said.
Erica Hanas was charged in Lake County Superior Court with two counts of dealing in heroin and one of count of reckless homicide.
Her brother,
Matthew Hanas, 23, also of Hobart, was charged with dealing in narcotics and assisting a criminal, according to court documents.
Erica Hanas and Matthew Hanas were identified last summer as drug dealers when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administrative/High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force was brought into Hobart to investigate the possible distribution of heroin.
Hobart police were called to the 2100 block of Rand Street on July 23 because of an unresponsive man, later identified as William Hawkins.
Police spoke to Erica Hanas, who said Hawkins was taking Xanax and was drinking, and that she hadn't given him any drugs.
In later conversations with police, Matthew Hanas told police Detective Jeremy Ogden that he had observed his sister inject Hawkins on prior occasions and twice on the night he died.
Matthew and Erica Hanas told police they attempted to revive Hawkins by placing him in the shower, but their efforts failed.