A four-day jury trial is set to begin Tuesday for a Mishawaka man accused of dealing drugs in the Kosciusko County Jail, resulting in the death of an inmate.
Christopher Aaron Susaraba, 30, of Mishawaka, will be tried in Kosciusko Circuit Court Tuesday to answer to a Level 1 felony charge of dealing in a controlled substance resulting in death and a Level 5 felony charge of trafficking with an inmate.
According to the probable cause affidavit in the case, on March 9, 2019, KCJ officers responded to an unresponsive male inmate in the K block at the jail and found another inmate performing CPR on Dennis McCrory.
The inmate performing CPR allegedly told jail officers that McCrory was overdosing on heroin.
Medical technicians arrived and administered Narcan, with no success, according to court papers, and McCrory was pronounced dead.
An autopsy performed found that the cause of death of McCrory was acute mixed drug intoxication and that methamphetamine and narcotic drugs were in his system, according to the affidavit.
According to court papers, several witnesses on behalf of the state of Indiana said Susaraba brought a large amount of heroin and methamphetamine to multiple inmates in KCJ in exchange for money.
Witnesses further told investigators that when Susaraba allegedly gave McCrory the methamphetamine and heroin there was some discussion about the amount of drugs he provided as being too large and dangerous for McCrory to use, according to the affidavit.
Circuit Court Judge Mike Reed will preside over the four-day jury trial. A Level 1 felony conviction carries a sentence of between 20 and 40 years in prison.
