Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
A Warsaw woman was arrested recently after allegedly providing heroin to a woman who overdosed in January.
Cassie Leigh Santamaria, 27, of 917 E. Fort Wayne St., Warsaw, was arrested and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail Thursday for dealing a narcotic. Her preliminary bond was set at $10,250.
Court documents filed March 16 listed the charges against Santamaria as dealing in a narcotic drug, a level 5 felony, and possession of a narcotic drug, a level 6 felony.
On Jan. 10, Winona Lake Police officer John Leeper responded to a report of a drug overdose at 1321 Wooster Road, Winona Lake. Upon arrival, he met Santamaria who led him to the living room where a woman was lying on the floor. She was gasping and had a pulse.
Santamaria said the woman had been down less than five minutes. Leeper saw a silver spoon with a substance on top of it, a clear cellophane package, cotton swab and a piece of aluminum foil lying on the floor near the woman.
Leeper administered Naloxone, commonly referred to as Narcon, to reverse the overdose.
Emergency medical technicians arrived and the woman regained consciousness. She was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Santamaria told police the woman came into the residence and looked very pale, became unconscious and stopped breathing. Santamaria began CPR and the woman began gasping.
WLPD officer Michael Foster obtained a search warrant and collected drug paraphernalia found near the woman.
Under the sofa, officers found a black pocketbook that contained cotton swabs, syringes, cellophane wrappers with white residue, a cut straw, cotton ball, aluminum foil, a tourniquet and credit cards. Officers determined the residue was heroin.
Warsaw Police officer Ryan Moore spoke with the woman who admitted Santamaria provided her with the heroin and a syringe. She injected the drug in front of Santamaria.
