Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun M. Copeland and Chief John Egan of the Parkside Borough Police Department announced the arrest of Alexandria Santa Barbara, who is charged with dealing fentanyl that resulted in the fatal overdose of a 51-year-old Parkside man on March 29. The drug delivery death charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 to 40 years in state prison.
Barbara, of the 200 block of Avon Road in Chester, is charged with drug delivery resulting in death, a felony of the first degree, delivery of a controlled substance, an ungraded felony, and involuntary manslaughter, a misdemeanor of the first degree. The announcement comes at the conclusion of an investigation conducted by Officer Patrick McKeown of the Parkside Borough Police Department and Detective Timothy Deery of the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division.
On March 29, at approximately 8:19 p.m., Officer Patrick McKeown responded to the 200 block of Avon Road in Parkside for a report of an unconscious male. There, police found a male slouched over on the floor next to the bed in the master bedroom who was pronounced dead at the scene. The medical examiner’s office recovered a blue in color wax paper/packaging containing a powder substance which tested positive for fentanyl. Dr. Fredric Hellman, Delaware County Medical Examiner, conducted a post-mortem, examination upon the deceased victim and ruled the cause of death as “acute fentanyl intoxication.”
During the course of the investigation, McKeown received information that prior to police arrival, the victim was observed with two neighbors, a male individual and a female, known as Alexandria Santa Barbara, who lived across the street from the victim. Further investigation by police revealed that Santa Barbara had confided in a friend about the incident, saying that she “gave the guy across the street a bad bag.” She also admitted to feeling guilty for the death of the neighbor to whom she delivered the heroin and further admitted feeling guilty when seeing the deceased victim’s family. On May 16, police interviewed Barbara who confirmed that she had delivered the drugs to the victim on March 29, which caused his fatal overdose.
“We know that opioids are tearing families apart across Pennsylvania and in Delaware County and that these drugs are more deadly than ever since they are often laced with fentanyl or are pure fentanyl which causes an instantaneous fatal overdose,” said District Attorney Katayoun Copeland, “In the case of Alexandria Santa Barbara, because of her actions, one life has been unjustly taken, and her own life has been destroyed. For families affected by opioids, holding drug dealers accountable for their actions is one way to help prevent such future tragedies. By exposing their actions and making them pay for their injustice, we as law enforcement can take steps towards prevention, even if it will not bring a loved one back. In addition to prosecution, we are also taking proactive steps to address this epidemic through our Delaware County Heroin Task Force and Certified Recovery Specialist program to connect residents who are struggling with addiction with treatment and recovery resources.”
Individuals who have witnessed a drug deal in their neighborhood or suspect illegal drug activity can send tips to the Office of the District Attorney by calling 610-891-4700. Tips can also be submitted electronically here.
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