2 charged in overdose incident in New Kensington

A Bethel Township man is accused of allowing a 7-year-old boy see him using heroin before overdosing in a car parked outside a New Kensington restaurant.

Police said the man, Scott Allen Simek, 30, of 117 Coal Bank Hollow Road, was found unresponsive at about 2 p.m. Saturday in a car driven by another man, Phillip Ernest Elsesser, also 30, of 1419 Fifth Ave., Ford City.

Simek was hospitalized at Allegheny Valley Hospital, Harrison, on Saturday and released the same day.

New Kensington Patrolman James Horwatt said Dairy Queen co-owner Kevin Abraham tipped off police and later fed boy.

Horwatt said the boy was turned over to the custody of the boy's grandfather.

Abraham said Elsesser came in by himself and ordered food but discovered he didn't have his wallet.

Elsesser was staggering on his way out to the car when Abraham saw the boy standing outside the car. Abraham said he made up his mind.

“He wasn't going to drive away with the kid inside — even if I had to pull my car behind his to block the way,” Abraham said. He called police and went outside to the car.

That's when he saw the second man, identified as Simek, passed out on the front passenger seat of a blue Honda compact.

“What's wrong with him?” Abraham asked Elsesser, who continued to stagger and hang onto the door latch.

“He told me, ‘He has seizures. I've going to get going.' And I said, “No — no you're not,” said Abraham, who is a father himself.

Elsesser “seemed to be falling asleep” and he wanted to drive away, the restaurant owner said.

“I told him you can't do that with the little kid inside.”

Police arrived at about that time and summoned an ambulance.

They found about 10 packets of suspected heroin stamped with “New Arrival” on Elsesser and about two dozen empty packets on the floor.

According to a police report, officers found several syringes in Elsesser's sweatshirt pocket.

Elsesser was charged with endangering the welfare of children, heroin possession and having drug paraphernalia.

He was in the Westmoreland County jail Tuesday in lieu of $10,000 bond pending a preliminary hearing.

Simek is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, and having drug paraphernalia. His charges were mailed to him, so bond wasn't set.

Chuck Biedka is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-226-4711 or cbiedka@tribweb.com.