A Scranton man who overdosed on heroin while watching a 3-year-old child for a friend in August was sentenced to six to 12 months in county prison.
Lackawanna County Judge Vito P. Geroulo also sentenced Lawrence Cerato, 43, of 424 Wyoming Ave., Apt. 108, to three years' probation after he pleaded guilty in September to possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
City police and fire officials had to force their way into Mr. Cerato's apartment. The child's grandfather, Theodore Price, briefly left the child under the care of Mr. Cerato.
When Mr. Price returned to the apartment and could not get in, he called police.
Inside, they found Mr. Cerato unresponsive. Near him, police recovered a leather belt, a syringe and a spoon - typical items used and needed to inject heroin - and two waxpaper bags, which they believed held heroin.
It "had to be a terrifying situation for the child," Judge Geroulo said before handing down his sentence.
Shackled and dressed in a Lackawanna County Prison jumpsuit, Mr. Cerato apologized to the court and acknowledged the repercussions of his drug abuse.
"This relapse has cost me dearly," Mr. Cerato said.
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