Muncie man sentenced to 44 years for dealing narcotics that caused overdose death of woman
MUNCIE, Ind. (WISH) — A Delaware County jury sentenced a Muncie man to 44 years in prison for dealing a controlled substance that resulted in death, the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office said in a release Wednesday.
Michael Schoeff, 38, was convicted in April for his role in the 2020 overdose death of Mandy Hart. He was also convicted in 2022 for conspiracy to commit dealing in a narcotic drug, both of which are felonies.
On October 20, 2020, officers with the Muncie Police Department began investigating the overdose death of Hart.
The release says investigators spoke with Hart’s boyfriend, Matt Stockton, who said he had picked up Hart in Indianapolis with his father earlier in the day. Court docs say Hart planned on buying heroin when they returned to Muncie.
Stockton told investigators that he and Hart had purchased drugs from Michael Schoeff and another, Vera Morgan. Hart contacted Morgan in an attempt to get heroin from her.
Court papers say Stockton and Hart met with Schoeff and Morgan at a gas station in Muncie, where she bought what they thought was heroin from Morgan. Stockton told police it started to rain and Schoeff gave them a ride, dropping them off close to Stockton’s residence.
Stockton then told officers that after he and Hart shared a shot of heroin, Hart overdosed and Stockton revived her. He told investigators after Hart stabilized, she had forgotten she overdosed and the two took another shot.
Stockton told police that he passed out after the shot and woke up to find Hart unresponsive.
Shortly after, officers located Schoeff and Morgan and took them into custody. Court papers say Schoeff admitted to officers that though he didn’t give Hart the heroin that caused her death, he did deal heroin to support his and Morgan’s addiction.
Schoeff told investigators that Hart and Stockton used the heroin at his residence. He said he was aware of Hart’s overdose that Stockton helped her come out of.
Police then took Schoeff into custody. In March, he was sentenced to five years in the Indiana Department of Correction for a previous narcotics offense.
Online court documents say Schoeff was considered a repeat offender for previous unrelated charges.
