August 30, 2023 |
Photo – Carbon County District Court Room – Bigfoot99 file photo
The trial of Saratoga man accused of providing a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced drugs to two friends in town began yesterday.
Jury selection occurred in Rawlins on Monday.
Max Schneider is charged with one count of delivery of a controlled substance, specifically fentanyl, and two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of Megan Cassidee Wingo and Richard Heap.
On Friday, February 3 of this year, Schneider allegedly found a small baggie with green alien heads on it in the bathroom of the Saratoga restaurant where he worked as a manager. The baggie supposedly contained an unidentified white powder. According to court documents, Schneider, thinking the powder was drugs, gave the baggie to his co-worker, Wingo. The next morning, Saturday, February 4th, Wingo and her boyfriend Heap were discovered unresponsive in their home. Fentanyl overdose was listed as the cause of death. Two weeks later, Schneider was arrested.
Schneider’s trial began on Monday at the newly renovated Carbon County Courthouse with jury selection and opening statements.
On Tuesday, Carbon County District Judge Honorable Dawnessa Snyder oversaw the continuation of the trial. County Prosecutor Sarah Chavez Harkins called several professional and personal witnesses to testify in the county’s case against Schneider.
The first witness called was Dr. George Behonick of Axcess Forensic Toxicology in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Behonick testified that he had received a blood sample from Wingo. After testing, Dr. Behonick said Wingo had 34.8 nanograms per milliliter of fentanyl in her bloodstream. Dr. Behonick said anywhere from three to 20 nanograms of fentanyl is enough to cause death. The forensic toxicologist also said Wingo had 7.2 nanograms per milliliter of norfentanyl in her blood. Dr. Behonick said norfentanyl is a byproduct of the body breaking down fentanyl.
Dr. Behonick said he was provided with a postmortem urine sample from Heap that tested positive for fentanyl. The forensic toxicologist said a urine screen isn’t able to tell how much fentanyl was in Heap’s system, only that the drug was present.
The technical testimony continued with the county attorney calling Lindsey Huhman, a forensic analysist from the Wyoming Crime Lab’s Drug Chemical Unit. Huhman testified that she used gas chromatography mass spectrometry to determine that the substance found in the small plastic baggie allegedly found by Schneider contained fentanyl.
A Wyoming Crime Lab latent fingerprint expert found no usable prints on the baggie. A Crime Lab DNA specialist also found no usable DNA on the baggie.
The prosecution called the owners of the restaurant where Schneider worked, Cassie and Tom Orduna. The owners testified separately that both Schneider and Wingo were on duty on the morning of February 3rd, the day the baggie was supposedly found. Cassie Orduna said Schneider told her about finding the baggie of white powder. Orduna said Schneider told her that he had flushed the baggie down the toilet. The restaurant owner said she wrote Schneider up for failing to inform the authorities about the discovery.
After learning about Wingo and Heap’s deaths, Orduna said she held a staff meeting where Schneider professed his innocence in the overdose deaths.
Schneider’s attorney, Vaugh Newbauer, asked Orduna if employees had a private place to store their personal belongings. Orduna said staff could put their items in a hallway out of view from the public.
The county attorney proceeded to call several of Schneider’s friends to the stand. Each testified that Schneider had told them about finding the baggie of white powder, but they all failed to inform Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation detectives when questioned about the incident.
On the evening of February 3rd, Schneider’s friends met at a different Saratoga restaurant, where Schneider also worked, for drinks. Schneider’s friends claimed that Wingo said she found the baggie while sweeping and Schneider acknowledged the assertion. Emily Williams, one of Schneider’s friends questioned yesterday, said she told Wingo not to take what was in the baggie.
Every one of Schneider’s friends testified that they didn’t know for sure that the white powder in the baggie was drugs, but they all assumed that to be the case.
Following the witnesses’ testimonies, the day ended. The Schneider case is scheduled to continue through the remainder of the week.
