Manslaughter charge doesn't hold up in court for North Bay-area woman
A North Bay-area woman who was facing a manslaughter charge in connection with an overdose death has instead pled guilty to trafficking.
Stephanie Slack, 36, admitted to selling the victim fentanyl before she died, but her lawyer said there was no evidence that the fentanyl caused the victim to die.
Slack was sentenced for trafficking and given a sentence of two years less a day, to be served in the community. She can only leave her residence to go to work, doctor’s appointments, attend places of worship or receive counselling.
She was also placed on probation for two years.
She admitted to selling the fentanyl to the victim, but said she sold a small amount for no profit because she thought it “would help her” because the victim was suffering from withdrawal.
Slack also took the drugs from her own supply.
The victim died at work at a hair salon in August 2018. Slack’s lawyer, Graham Clark, said the drugs his client sold the victim weren’t related to her death.
“She is not being sentenced for manslaughter,” Clark said.
“She shared a substance in the context of two people who were both dependent on a substance experiencing significant discomfort from very serious withdrawal and Ms. Slack was not a drug dealer. She was not trafficking commercially.”
Graham said his client’s long-term prospects for recovery are positive right now.
- Download the CTV News app now and get local alerts on your device
- Get local breaking news and updates sent to your email inbox
“I believe it's a situation where Ms. Slack has done everything possible to recover,” he said.
“She is employed, her addiction has not been active for quite some time and my suggestion to the court was that there's no benefit to the community incarcerating her and taking the fruits of all of her labours to overcome the addiction.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
About 1,000 wildfires confirmed so far this year: Here's a quick look at the situation in Canada
Nearly 1,000 wildfires have burned across Canada so far this year. Here's an overview of the situation in Canada.
'Inappropriate' behaviour shuts down Dublin to New York City portal
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
American sought after 'So I raped you' Facebook message detained in France on 2021 warrant
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
Full List Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Tavares scores in OT, rescues Canada from potential upset in 7-6 win over Austria
Captain John Tavares scored 15 seconds into overtime and saved his teammates some embarrassment as Canada held on for a 6-5 win over Austria on Tuesday at the world hockey championship.
BREAKING Dr. Eileen de Villa, who led Toronto through the COVID-19 pandemic, announces resignation
The doctor who led Toronto through the COVID-19 pandemic as the city’s top public health official is stepping down.