A Moose Jaw man has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to criminal negligence causing death in connection with the fatal cocaine overdose of another inmate.
Mitch Schoffer, 42, appeared in Regina Provincial Court recently, where he admitted his actions led to the death of 38-year-old Thomas Kundert on Feb. 8, 2021.
The court heard that Schoffer was being transported by RCMP to the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre after being arrested on drug trafficking charges. Kundert, who had been arrested in Bengough for assault, was seated next to him in the transport van.
Video showed Schoffer taking out a hidden bag of cocaine and giving it to Kundert while en route. Kundert, who the court heard was not a drug user, ingested a large amount before handing the bag back. Tests later revealed the cocaine was 95 per cent pure. Schoffer never told Kundert about the drug's potency.
At the correctional centre, the men were placed in a holding cell. Footage showed Schoffer again taking out the bag of cocaine and giving it to Kundert, who consumed the rest.
Shortly afterward, Kundert went into medical distress. Schoffer alerted the guards but claimed he did not know what Kundert had taken.
First responders, believing it was an opioid overdose, administered naloxone, which was unsuccessful. Kundert died as a result of ingesting the cocaine.
Schoffer, who the court heard has a lengthy drug-related criminal record, was already serving another sentence, and this five-year sentence will be added to his current sentence.
While Schoffer expressed remorse and accepted responsibility for Kundert's death, his defence lawyer blamed the Moose Jaw Police Service and RCMP for failing to properly search him, allowing the drugs to be smuggled into the jail.