TWO CHARGED IN OVERDOSE DEATH

SHAMOKIN -- When a police officer went to the home at 17 Rocky Lane
in Catawissa early Oct. 13, 2005, he found Hank Millard dead -- lying
on his back, with a Fentanyl drug patch stuck to his chest.

Wednesday afternoon, two Shamokin people were charged with selling
Mr. Millard, 22, the prescription drugs that police believe killed him.

An autopsy showed that Mr. Millard died of a drug overdose and
confirmed that Fentanyl was in his system.

Daniel J. Ruskuski Sr., 44, of 511 N. Coal St., Shamokin, and Nancy
Marie Engel, 41, of 24 Sherman St., Coal Township, were both charged
with delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to
deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communication
facility and criminal conspiracy.

In interviews with Shamokin Police officers, Mr. Ruskuski and Ms.
Engel had each blamed the other for selling the Fentanyl patches to
Mr. Millard.

Ms. Engel told police officers that Mr. Ruskuski sold Fentanyl
patches that had been prescribed to his mother Anna Ruskuski,
according to court documents.

She told police that around dusk on Oct. 12, 2005, she received a
phone call from Mr. Ruskuski indicating that Mr. Millard was coming
to his house to buy the prescription drug patches. She then went to
Mr. Ruskuski's house and was there when he sold two patches to Mr.
Millard for $100, according to court documents.

Mr. Millard put one of the patches on his body, then asked how to cut
the second one so that he could chew on it.

Ms. Engel told police that Mr. Ruskuski showed the younger man how to
cut the drug patch. Mr. Millard put one-half in his mouth and the
other half in his pocket, then left.

Mr. Ruskuski told police a different story.

He said that the night before Mr. Millard was found dead, he came
home to find Ms. Engel waiting for him.

"What would happen if you put a patch on someone and they also ate a
patch?" she asked him, according to Mr. Ruskuski's account included
in court documents.

"They would die!" Mr. Ruskuski replied, in his version of events.

He said that Ms. Engel then became very upset and began trying to
call Mr. Millard on the telephone, leaving desperate messages, "Hank,
you're going to die. Call me back or you going to die."

But Mr. Ruskuski said that the pair didn't call police or 911 or do
anything else to try to help Mr. Millard.

Ms. Engel was released on $25,000 bail, while Mr. Ruskuski was placed
in the Northumberland County Prison on $30,000 bail. They are both
due to appear before District Judge John Gembic Tuesday for
preliminary hearings on the charges.