Victory man sentenced to prison for selling father’s pain medicine

BALLSTON SPA — A 34-year-old man from Victory was sentenced on Friday to serve 2 years in state prison for selling a narcotic pain medicine that was prescribed for his father’s cancer treatment.James Slingerland, of 51 Herkimer St., pleaded guilty to third-degree attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance on Aug. 31.

Slingerland stole the narcotic substance, Fentanyl, from his father, who was in the hospital at the time, said Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy. Slingerland’s father has since died.

Fentanyl is a narcotic that is commonly prescribed in the form of a patch.

Slingerland sold the patches to Joshua P. Seidel, a 20-year-old Washington County man, who then resold the patches to several teenagers.

One of those teens, Greenwich High School junior Morgan Harrington, was found dead in his home in May 2009 after he chewed on the patch. The cause of death was determined to be acute Fentanyl intoxication, Murphy said.

Seidel pleaded guilty to a felony charge of criminal possession of a controlled substance in connection with the sale, and earlier this year was sentenced to serve 4 years in prison.

Slingerland was sentenced in Saratoga County Court Friday to serve 2 years in state prison and 1-1/2 years of post release supervision.

Regarding the single felony charge of attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance, Murphy said police and prosecutors were unable to find direct proof that Slingerland intended to cause the death of Harrington.

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