Jan 27, 2024 By Mike Jones 2 min read

A Chartiers Township man accused of selling a deadly batch of fentanyl to another man in October will stand trial on all charges.

John Stephen Backner is facing felony charges of drug delivery resulting in death, criminal use of a communication facility and possession with intent to deliver in connection with the death of 41-year-old Sean Thomas Caldwell.

Backner and his attorneys agreed to have the case held for court before any testimony was heard Friday morning during his scheduled preliminary hearing with District Judge Louis McQuillan in Washington County Central Court.

According to court documents, Mt. Pleasant Township police said they were called to Caldwell’s home he shared with his mother in Hickory and found him unresponsive in the bathroom shortly after 7 p.m. Oct. 4. Officers tried to revive Caldwell using naloxone, but were unsuccessful.

While investigating, police found multiple empty stamp bags in Caldwell’s wallet and were able to locate his cellphone, which had numerous text messages from another person. They were able to identify Backner using his cellphone number and the user name on a social media app used by the two men to communicate, according to court documents.

Police said Backner met Caldwell at a location in Chartiers Township, and allegedly sold him cocaine. Caldwell died hours later after ingesting the drugs, which the Washington County coroner’s office determined included fentanyl, cocaine and several other drugs.

Backner, 57, was charged by Mt. Pleasant Township police on Dec. 18 and is being held at the Washington County jail on $500,000 bond.