Derry man seeks to withdraw guilty plea for friend's fatal overdose

A Derry man sentenced to a 7-to-14-year prison sentence for the delivery of drugs that prosecutors said led to his friend’s fatal overdose now claims he was “induced” to plead guilty to a crime he did not commit.

Glenn A. Levtzow, 39, in court documents filed this week asked to withdraw a guilty plea he entered 15 months ago to counts of drug delivery resulting in death and two related offenses. The plea was made in connection to the Nov. 18, 2017, fatal overdose of Ryan Powell.

Powell, 34, of Greensburg died two days after his overdose. Police said Levtzow bought heroin, gave some to Powell and sold more to him later that day in return for other drugs. Powell overdosed on the drugs and was found unresponsive in a bathroom by Levtzow and a woman, according to police.

Prosecutors contended Levtzow broke through a locked door in an attempt to help Powell but fled the apartment after 911 was called. He was found later in a parked vehicle, suspected of being under the influence of drugs, police said.

Two children, ages 6 and 3, and drug paraphernalia were in the vehicle that was parked near where Powell lived, according to police.

New defense lawyer Andrew Skala said Levtzow contends he wanted to take his case to trial. But the day before jury selection was to begin, he was convinced to accept a guilty plea.

Levtzow’s court filing does not offer any specifics as to how he was “induced” to enter a guilty plea but those details form a potential defense to the charges.

Skala wrote that Levtzow and Powell were both drug addicts and drove together to buy heroin from a dealer they both used. The attorney claimed Levtzow denies that he gave money to Powell to make the heroin buy but instead gave him money in exchange for 15 Klonopin tablets or pills.

“The defendant avers that he is not guilty of drug delivery resulting in death because he did not administer, dispense, give, prescribe, sell or distribute the heroin which caused defendant’s death,” Skala wrote.

At a sentencing hearing in January 2020, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani said he imposed a mitigated sentence that was a year less than state guidelines after receiving a letter from Powell’s mother saying she did not want her son’s friend to go to jail.