Incident unfolds on Church Street; charges filed

HAWLEY - District Attorney Janine Edwards said it was “only a matter of time” before Wayne County would have a death related to a drug delivery.

An incident on Church Street, Hawley on Wednesday, April 27, has left a female, Ralissa Gibson, dead, a male, David Head hospitalized and another man, Edmund Clifford O’Connor arrested for delivering heroin.

Edwards announced Thursday that O’Connor, age 22, of Hawley, was arrested for delivering heroin in Hawley Borough, a felony, and other related drug charges on April 27.

Janine Edwards, Wayne County District Attorney stated that the charges against O’Connor were filed by Pennsylvania State Police Wednesday, April 27 after responding that morning to a 911 call of an unresponsive female at an apartment on 724 Church St., Hawley.    

According to the District Attorney on April 27 Edmund Clifford O’Connor delivered heroin to Ralissa Gibson at 724 Church Street by injecting her in her right arm with the controlled substance. Gibson was found hours later by another male, a friend of Gibson's, unresponsive at her residence.

Gibson's friend reported to PA State Police that he attempted CPR on Gibson and asked O’Connor to call 911. Brown stated to the police that O’Connor started to panic and began cleaning up drug related items inside the apartment and then injected Gibson with what O’Connor told Brown was salt water and then left the apartment. 

EMS personnel arrived on scene to find Gibson deceased.

An investigation ensued wherein Chief Daniel Drake of Hawley Borough Police went to a residence across the street later in the day at 727 Church St., Hawley, wherein he believed O’Connor could be located. 

The residence was that of another man.  Upon knocking and getting no response he walked away from the door and down the sidewalk and then saw O’Connor walking around the basement area of the home at 727 Church Street and then appeared to go inside the residence. 

Chief Drake then knocked again and O’Connor answered the door and said he just found the male resident of 727 Church Street, passed out and tried to put him in the shower to wake him up.  The male resident was found on the floor alive but not coherent and somewhat unresponsive. 

O’Connor advised Chief Drake that the male resident did abuse drugs but he did not know what the resident was on at the time. The male resident was transported to CMC Hospital via EMS personnel and remains there. 

O’Connor, who is age 22, was charged with felony heroin deliver and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia and was arraigned before Magistrate Bonnie Carney, bail set at $500,000.00 and central court scheduled for May 4, 2016.

The matter remains under investigation pending an autopsy of Ralissa Gibson.

District Attorney Edwards stated, “It was only a matter of time before we reached a point that we would be investigating a drug delivery resulting in death crime in Wayne County.  Law Enforcement is supportive of treatment and rehabilitation for those who suffer from an opioid addiction however the law cannot sit idly by and allow the crime of drug delivery resulting in death to occur without vigorous investigation and potential prosecution.  In this matter an autopsy must be performed and other items investigated before a determination is made on a Drug Delivery Resulting in Death charge.  We must continue to be vigilant in our approach to this epidemic and work to lower our overdose rates.”

Police presence was evident in the section of Church Street, near Academy Street, for most of the day on Wednesday.

The filing of criminal charges in not evidence of guilt but simply a description of the charge made by the Commonwealth against a defendant.  A charged Defendant is presumed innocent until a jury returns a unanimous finding that the Commonwealth has proven the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt or until the defendant enters a guilty plea to the charges.