Guilty plea entered in New Kensington fatal overdose case

Westmoreland County prosecutors this week dropped a felony charge of drug delivery resulting in death against one of three men charged in connection with a 2018 fatal drug overdose in New Kensington.

Matthew Covey, 50, formerly of Missouri, pleaded guilty to a lesser drug possession charge as part of a plea bargain approved by Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears.

Covey was ordered to serve 11½ to 23 months in prison and an additional three years on probation. He was given credit for time served since his arrest in April 2019 and was paroled.

Covey, along with two other men, were charged with selling and delivering drugs found in connection with the Feb. 13, 2018, overdose death of Shanelle Waugh. Police said Waugh, 40, died from using heroin and fentanyl. According to court records, investigators found stamp bags marked “Gorilla Glue” in Waugh’s bedroom.

According to court papers, Covey bought some of the drugs used by Waugh and was with her before she died.

About two weeks later, police arrested Tre-Ron Arnez Jackson, 28, of Pittsburgh, and found him in possession of 93 stamp bags with the same marking, according to court papers. Jackson told police he learned from one of his co-defendants that Waugh died after using drugs he sold.

Jackson pleaded guilty in October to drug delivery resulting in death in connection with Waugh’s overdose. He was sentenced to serve 3 to 8 years in prison. He also pleaded guilty in two other unrelated drug cases.

Charges are still pending against Gust Robert Stone, 41, of New Kensington, the third man charged in connection with Waugh’s death.