A city man pleaded no contest to his involvement in a 2019 overdose, and pleaded guilty to numerous other charges before Lycoming County Judge Ryan Tira, who sentenced the man to 44 to 92 months in prison Tuesday morning.

In January 2024, state police charged Alex C. DeJesus, 46, of 19 Roseville Road, Old Lycoming Township, with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, leading to the overdose death of 36-year-old Teresa Holtzman.

DeJesus “sold one bundle of heroin” to Holtzman and a man, who police said was a relative of Holtzman’s, in the 500 block of Stevens Street on May 23, 2019.

A child later found Holtzman, collapsed and unresponsive, slumped over a bathtub in her residence in the 1500 block of Oaks Avenue in Loyalsock Township, and notified her father.

Despite being rushed to UPMC Williamsport, she died two days later as a result of a “mixed drug toxicity of benzodiazepine and fentanyl,” police said in an affidavit.

DeJesus has a long history of drug offenses, including a September 2023 arrest for charges of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, after his employer at the time, the Lycoming County Assistance office discovered the items, including three syringes of methamphetamine within a backpack in his possession.

He was again arrested in March 2024, after he was stopped by South Williamsport police officers after they learned Dejesus had a warrant out for his arrest.

While executing a search warrant on the 2007 Subaru Legacy Outback, police discovered two grams of methamphetamine and a powder substance that was a mixture of fentanyl and xylazine, and was hit with two additional counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Dejesus was also arrested in December 2023 for DUI. He was also charged with three summary offenses.

Additionally, in January 2024, DeJesus was charged with felony escape and disarming a police officer and resisting arrest, following a December 2023 incident when, while in police custody, he attempted to flee from UMC Williamsport, wrestling a taser away from an officer in the process.

In all, DeJesus pleaded guilty to DUI, failing to stop at a stop sign, speeding, careless driving, escape, disarming a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, possession with intent to deliver, three counts of possession of a controlled substance and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

In urging Tira to hand down a sentence on the lenient side, defense attorney George Lepley presented two letters in support of DeJesus, one of which detailed heroic actions he took to save a fellow service member during a vehicle accident, which included removing his own bulletproof vest and wading into sewage-infested water.

DeJesus was a “fine citizen” who has a documented history of PTSD following his time in the military.

In crafting a sentence that addressed both the seriousness of the crimes, as well as the underlying factors that contributed to the reason he committed them, Tira said he understood what DeJesus had been through and thanked him for his service.

DeJesus was ultimately sentenced to 44 to 92 months in prison, 48 months of probation and $1,100 in fines.

He will receive credit for 742 days for time served.