A Sioux City man will spend a decade behind bars for dealing the prescription drugs that killed teenager. It's widely known that drug addictions can kill, but what about simply experimenting. For one Iowa teen, that's all it took.
Methadone. It's a highly addictive narcotic, commonly used to help detoxify heroine addicts. But it can also be deadly. That's what happened to Akron, Iowa teenager Nicholas Clay. Clay experimented with the drug at a so-called pill party.
Plymouth County Chief Deputy Craig Bartolozzi, says, "That's where we hear kids are just taking pills from everywhere. They come together and they throw them in a big bowl and it's just a 'help yourself' you really don't know what you're taking or how it's gonna affect you."
Clay passed out and never woke up. And now the man who gave him the drug is headed to prison. 39 year old Stuart Barton has pled guilty to two counts of delivering Methadone.
Bartolozzi says, "Court finds there's a factual basis for accepting the defendant's pleas."
Barton says he traded the Methadone in exchange for Marijuana hoping to wien himself off the drug that he knew was dangerous. Officials say much can be learned from Barton's dealings, but more so.
Teens need to be aware of the harmful effects, not only Methadone, but all prescription drugs can have on different people.
Bartolozzi says, "You know, you're taking prescription drugs that you really don't know how it's gonna react to you. Prescription drugs obviously react different to everybody. It can lead to brain damage, death."
Delivery of a controlled substance is equivalent to a class "C" felony. Barton's 10 year sentence will begin two weeks from today.