Redding man sentenced to prison in 13-year-old's fentanyl drug death

A Redding man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for selling fentanyl to a 13-year-old middle school student who died after taking the drug, which he thought was Percocet.

Shasta County Superior Court Judge Jody Burgess said in court Tuesday that he sentenced Ryan Andrew Harrison, 20, to the mid-level prison term the defendant could have received.

Deputy District Attorney Toby Powell said he wanted Harrison sentenced to 13 years behind bars. Powell said he wanted the judge to set a lengthy sentence to send a message to drug dealers and others about the dangers of fentanyl.

The 13-year-old boy's father and stepmother both wept as they read victim statements in court Tuesday. His mother, Amanda Faith, provided to the court a video featuring photos of her son and her testimony about the impact he made on the community.

He "was such a good person to so many people, but now so many people have holes in their hearts," said his stepmother, Erica Poso.

"He was also one of the most passionate and altruistic humans I have ever known," Faith said in the video recording.

Harrison last month pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter and two counts of possessing a controlled substance.

Harrison's attorney, Michael Borges, argued that his client was eligible for either probation or a four-year prison term.

Burgess said he took into account that Harrison was "youthful" and 18-years-old at the time he committed the crimes and sold drugs to the boy, but he deserved more than four years in state prison.

The case began in August 2020, when police and paramedics went to a home near downtown Redding after they received a report that a 13-year-old boy was found unresponsive in his bedroom. Despite life-saving measures, the boy died at the scene, according to the Redding Police Department.

Detectives determined the boy had ingested a lethal dose of disguised fentanyl sold to him as a "Perc." However, no traces of Percocet were found in his system, according to police.

During the the investigation, police turned their attention to Harrison, who had been using social media to market and sell drugs to people, "many of whom were minors," according to the news release police sent out after Harrison's arrest in 2021. At the time of the boy's death, he was still in middle school.

Harrison had been using the social media app Snapchat to arrange sales of drugs, officials said. Burgess said the crime showed a higher level of sophistication and planning.

In February 2021, detectives searched Harrison's home and found about 900 pills that tested positive for fentanyl. They also found codeine syrup, cocaine and about $30,000 in cash, police said at the time of Harrison's arrest.

More:Fentanyl overdoses, deaths raise alarm in Northern California, Shasta County

Police said Harrison was aggressive during the search and was arrested on suspicion of threatening law enforcement and selling drugs. Police said Harrison later admitted he was dealing blue "M30" pills and marketing them as "Percs" when they were actually fentanyl. He also acknowledged fentanyl is dangerous and that a small very amount can be deadly.

Faith said because of her son's death, she has made it her mission to spread the word about the dangers of fentanyl poisoning.

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"l learned to embrace the most horrific pain in my life, to try to use my experience to prevent more wreckage across America. I began sharing (my son's) story to warn others, hoping to prevent other moms from ever feeling this pain. This entire situation is tragic for everyone involved, on so many levels. But I also believe it has saved countless lives, and it will continue to," she said in a video.

The Shasta County District Attorney's Office has previously said it is trying to bring awareness of the potent drug. The amount of fentanyl that can cause an overdose is equivalent to about 2 grains of sand, officials said.

The DA's office has said there is a growing prevalence of fentanyl in the county and that it is working with other agencies to raise awareness of the drug’s danger.

The drug is being sold in many forms, including powders, liquids and pressed into pills made to look like legitimate prescriptions, the DA's office said.

Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Redding man sentenced to prison in 13-year-old's fentanyl drug death