Mar 16, 2016 2 min read

A Washington man accused of providing heroin to his 26-year-old girlfriend who overdosed on the drug in her Chartiers Township home earlier this year waived his case to court after the prosecution agreed to withdraw an aggravated assault charge.

David Gatling, 23, of 15 Linn Ave., will stand trial on charges of possession with heroin and tampering with evidence. He was scheduled for a preliminary hearing Wednesday before District Judge David Mark.

Chartiers police were called Feb. 1 to the home of Stephanie Marie Weber, 259 N. Cherry Ave., when she reportedly overdosed on heroin. Gatling allegedly admitted to providing Weber with one packet of suspected heroin, which caused her to overdose and lose consciousness. Gatling allegedly opened the bag for her and rolled up a $1 bill for her to use to inhale it, police said at the time of his arrest.

Gatling called 911 to summon an ambulance and police to her home. Gatling also reportedly told police and ambulance personnel that he flushed the stamp bag marked with a blue boot down the toilet, destroying the evidence.

At the time of her overdose, police in Western Pennsylvania were dealing with a spike in heroin overdoses, including a dozen nonfatal overdoses in Washington County. Some of the stamp bags recovered were marked with a boot. In February, U.S. Attorney David Hickton announced the creation of the Fusion Center, where investigators have standardized the collection of evidence relating to heroin overdoses and are training police across the region on the overdose protocol.

Weber reportedly told police that it was only the second time she used heroin and that she was addicted to pain pills. Weber’s 3-year-old daughter was home when she overdosed, police said.

Mark gave Gatling credit for time served in connection with an Oct. 15 incident when he allegedly hit his girlfriend in the mouth and pushed her at her North Cherry home. He was initially charged with simple assault and harassment but agreed at his preliminary hearing to plead guilty to a summary charge of harassment.

Gatling remains in Washington County Jail on $25,000 bond, but is expected to ask a Washington County Court judge for a bond reduction hearing. He is to be formally arraigned on the charges on May 26.