Aug 4, 2017 3 min read

After nearly dying from an overdose and leaving a sober-living house, a Speers man purchased fentanyl-laced heroin that killed him, leading to the arrest of an alleged drug dealer, according to questions raised in court Friday.

Mark Farrell’s April 2 death from fentanyl toxicity prompted the arrest of Dalton James Lawson, 24, of Donora, who was ordered Friday to face drug delivery resulting in a death and related charges in Washington County Court.

District Judge Larry Hopkins ordered the case to trial after hearing testimony in Central Court from Farrell’s friend, Eugenio Tarquinio, who admitted on the witness stand he arranged and completed the drug deal for Farrell.

“He almost died in Florida, and you take him to buy drugs?” Lawson’s attorney, Ryan M. Tutera of Pittsburgh, said while he questioned Tarquinio.

“Yes,” Tarquinio replied.

Tarquinio, while being questioned by the prosecution, said he didn’t have any money for drugs April 2 and agreed to take Farrell, 23, to a strip mall in nearby Rostraver Township to meet Lawson, where he allegedly purchased 14 stamp bags from Lawson for $100. He said he received two of them for driving Farrell to the drug deal and Farrell kept the remaining 12 stamp bags that were marked Diesel and bore symbols of a green gas pump.

Farrell’s mother found her son dead the following day in their home on Howard Street. Police found five stamp bags in the bathroom and also seized his cellphone, which led them to Tarquinio.

Lawson, of 403 Fourth St., was arrested June 26 after he was detained April 20 for violating his probation in a Washington County drug case. A probation officer also seized his cellphone that day, a search which revealed conversations with Tarquinio and other evidence.

Assistant Washington County District Attorney Jerry Moschetta said conversations on Lawson’s phone indicated he was aware the heroin contained fentanyl and he was accepting large sums of money for bricks of the drug.

Excerpts of the text messages indicate Lawson made statements such as “Everyone loves Diesel” and “It’s fentanyl. Be careful,” Moschetta said.

Hopkins dismissed two drug-related charges because the evidence presented at the preliminary hearing alleged the cases stemmed from deals that took place in Allegheny County.

Hopkins believed those charges should have been filed in Allegheny County Court, Tutera said.

Tutera also raised questions about the probation officer seizing his client’s cellphone before a federal magistrate signed a warrant to search the device.

“It was appropriate,” Moschetta said.

Meanwhile, Tutera also said he believed Tarquinio should have been charged with providing the drugs that killed the Speers man.

“He clearly did buy the drugs and made the buy,” Tutera said.

Lawson also faces charges of drug possession with intent to deliver, criminal use of a cellphone, drug possession and reckless endangerment.

He was returned Friday to Washington County jail, where he is being held on $500,000 bond.

Tarquinio has not been charged in the case, online court records show.