September 1, 2023 |
Photo – Carbon County Courthouse – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Saratoga man accused of providing a fatal dose of fentanyl to two friends has been found not guilty on all charges.
Yesterday, August 31st, Max Schneider, 23, was acquitted of one count of delivery of a controlled substance and two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Following three days of witness testomony, Carbon County Prosecutor Sarah Chavez Harkins failed to convince a jury that Schneider was responsible for the deaths of 27-year-old Megan Cassidee Wingo and her boyfriend, 28-year-old Richard Heap.
On the morning of February 4th, Wingo and Heap were found unresponsive in their Saratoga home. Fentanyl overdose was listed as the cause of death. A toxicology report on Wingo showed that she had 11 times the fatal amount of fentanyl in her bloodstream. A small baggie with green alien heads printed on it was found with the victims. A test revealed the baggie contained nearly pure counterfeit fentanyl.
The previous morning, February 3rd, Schneider told friends that he discovered a baggie matching the description of the one found with the victims in the restroom of the restaurant where he worked. That evening, Schneider said he gave the baggie of what he assumed to be drugs to Wingo.
Schneider was arrested two weeks later following a DCI investigation.
The three charges Schneider was facing could have resulted in a sentence of more than 20 years in prison.
