Derry Township man to serve at least 8 years in jail for drug overdose death

A Derry Township man will serve at least eight years in prison for his role in the overdose death of a friend in early 2017.

Eric B. Vogel Jr., 31, pleaded guilty in September to a charge of drug delivery resulting in death in connection with the overdose of 29-year-old Scott Nolan of Ligonier Township, who police said traded Xanax pills for bags of heroin.

In court Monday, Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani ordered Vogel to serve 8 to 16 years in prison, saying his lengthy criminal record warranted a long period of incarceration.

“Your record shows 13 years of a crime spree on your part going back to 2006,” Feliciani said.

That record includes theft and drug convictions in 2006, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

According to court records, police said Nolan’s grandmother drove him to a drugstore on Jan. 21, 2017, where she withdrew $70 in cash from a bank machine for him to buy prescription medication used to ease the symptoms of heroin withdrawal. She then drove Nolan to Vogel’s home in Derry, where he bought heroin, police said.

Vogel pleaded for a short jail sentence, saying he wanted to continue to care for his twin 9-year-old daughters who live in Florida with their mother.

“I would like to apologize. I am truly sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen,” Vogel said. “Only myself and my addiction is to blame, and I wish I could do it all differently.”

Vogel also received concurrent sentences for two other cases, including firearms offenses and possession of drugs.

Police said they found a .380-caliber handgun in Vogel’s bedroom when they searched his mobile home. Vogel, because he is convicted felon, is not permitted to possess a firearm, according to prosecutors.

He also pleaded guilty to drug offenses. Police said that same search found more than 400 stamp bags of heroin in Vogel’s home.