A 24-year-old Waukesha man was charged with delivering heroin to a woman who later almost died of an overdose at Waukesha Memorial Hospital.
Gregory Gaszak was charged on Jan. 6 in Waukesha County Circuit Court with delivering heroin, drug paraphernalia possession and misdemeanor bail jumping. Gaszak could face up to 13 1/2 years in prison and $35,500 in fines if convicted.
According to the criminal complaint, officers from the Waukesha Police Department were dispatched to Waukesha Memorial Hospital at about 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 2 for a possible drug overdose.
Hospital staff told police in the complaint that a man had come running into the emergency room looking for treatment for an unconscious woman in his car. The woman was taken inside and the man drove off, the complaint states.
The emergency room doctor told police in the complaint that the woman was "seconds away from death," but was saved by hospital staff who administered naloxone. Naloxone is a drug used to counteract the effects of an opiate overdose.
The woman told police in the complaint that she was drinking with Gaszak at an apartment at 477 W. Main St. before the overdose. She said that Gaszak had allegedly injected her with some "rinse," slang for the residue heroin leftover after an injection.
She said in the complaint she asked Gaszak whether he was injecting too much and he allegedly told her she "probably wouldn't even feel it."
Gaszak admitted to police that he drove the woman to Waukesha Memorial, but said the heroin belonged to her, the complaint states. He allowed officers to search his residence and they located two used syringes, according to the complaint. Police recovered other items of drug paraphernalia from a garbage can near the apartment, the complaint states.
Gaszak was on bail during the incident, having been charged on Nov. 27 with operating a vehicle while intoxicated (second offense) and drug paraphernalia possession.
Gaszak's cash bail was set at $2,500 at an initial appearance on Jan. 6, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty at a preliminary hearing on Jan. 17 and is currently being held in Waukesha County Jail.
He is next expected to appear in court on Feb. 27.