Seidle-Patton Sentences Men to Combined 108 Years in Drug Death Case

Aly Delp

Aly Delp

Published August 27, 2020 4:55 am
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CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – Aaron Johnson and Spencer Rudolph (pictured above left to right) were sentenced to decades in state prison on Wednesday in a case that connected a Clarion overdose death to a drug investigation spanning multiple counties.

(Photo by Dave Cyphert of ProPoint Media Photography.)

President Judge Sara J. Seidle-Patton on Wednesday, August 26, sentenced 32-year-old Aaron Ernest Johnson, of Pittsburgh, to a total of a minimum of 460 months (38 years and four months) to a maximum of 920 months (76 years and eight months) in state prison.

Judge Seidle-Patton also sentenced 24-year-old Spencer Gene Rudolph, of Shippenville, to total sentence of a minimum of 196 months (16 years and four months) to a maximum of 384 months (32 years) in state prison.

Johnson’s Sentence

Johnson was ordered to serve a minimum of 310 months to a maximum of 620 months in state prison on the drug delivery resulting in death charge and 11 other felony charges. He was also ordered to serve a minimum of 150 months to a maximum of 300 months in state prison on a second case involving multiple felony drug charges, with the sentences in the two cases to run consecutively.

A jury found Johnson guilty of drug delivery resulting in death, corrupt organizations, corrupt organizations – conspiracy, criminal use of a communication facility, seven counts of delivery of a controlled substance, three counts of possession with intent to deliver (heroin/fentanyl), possession with intent to deliver (cocaine), two counts of possession of a controlled substance, four counts of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia on August 3.

Rudolph’s Sentence

Rudolph was ordered to serve a minimum of 162 months to a maximum of 324 months on the drug delivery resulting in death charge and other related felony charges, and was also ordered to serve a minimum of 34 months to a maximum of 60 months on a second case involving multiple felony drug charges, with the sentences in the two cases to run consecutively.

A jury found Rudolph guilty of drug delivery resulting in death, corrupt organizations, corrupt organizations – conspiracy, criminal use of a communication facility, and delivery of a controlled substance on August 3.

A summary of the trial is available here.

Victim’s Family Speaks at Sentencing

The family of William “Bill” Stout (the victim) spoke during the sentencing hearings of Johnson and Rudolph.

Both the victim’s father, Robert Stout, and the victim’s fiancée, Tanya Brooks, thanked the district attorney and local law enforcement for the hard work put into building the case against the defendants. They shared some of the impact the victim’s death has had on their lives.

Robert Stout stated that “it’s been hard” losing his son.

Brooks addressed the defendants, noting Bill Stout (the victim) had previously spent ten years in prison but had still managed to “get on the right track” afterward. She also read a devotional that he wrote after he was released from prison, encouraging people to make better life choices.

“We don’t have to be defined by the mistakes we make,” she stated, urging both defendants to choose a “different path” in the future.

However, her words were not well-received, as Johnson deliberately turned his back to Brooks as she spoke.

District Attorney Drew Welsh made a point of noting that Johnson had a lengthy criminal history which included incarceration in a federal prison, as well as multiple probationary sentences.

Johnson’s father, Aaron Johnson Sr., also stepped forward, urging the judge for clemency.

Johnson and Rudolph Address Court

The defendants both also addressed the court prior to being sentenced.

Johnson addressed the court at length, offering an interminable critique of his case.

After offering his condolences to the family of the deceased, he went on to state he would not offer any apology, as he maintains he is innocent of the accusations against him.

“I did wrong in my life, but what this court is doing is wrong,” Johnson stated, going on to make accusations of corruption and lies in the case against him, and saying he had been “kidnapped” from his home in Pittsburgh by a “crooked cop.”

However, after a time, Judge Seidle-Patton asked Johnson to stop.

“You were given a fair trial,” she stated. “You can raise these issues in an appeal.”

Johnson made it crystal clear he intends to do exactly that.

“I am taking this to a higher court. I just want to move on.”

Brooks also spoke again prior to Rudolph’s sentencing, reminding the judge that Rudolph had continued to sell drugs after he knew the victim had died as a result of an overdose.

“That’s what hurt the most,” she noted.

Rudolph was more succinct than Johnson in addressing the court, offering only a short statement that could not be heard clearly throughout the courtroom because of the heavy “spit mask” he was wearing due to alleged threats to spit at the judge and deputies in court.

When Judge Seidle-Patton asked what he had said, as she was unable to hear him, District Attorney Drew Welsh clarified that Rudolph had stated “Go (expletive) yourselves.”

In her final remarks on the case, Judge Seidle-Patton admonished Rudolph for his attitude.

“You are the one making the decisions, and this is the life you chose,” she stated.

“You did not do yourself any favors with your disrespect for this court.”

RELATED:

Two Charged in Multi-County Drug Sting Spurred by Overdose Death in Clarion Reject Plea Deals, Request Jury Trial

CNET Nabs Two Shippenville Residents for Alleged Trafficking of Cocaine Heroin

Man Accused of Bringing Seven Year Old to Heroin Deal in Shippenville

Six Arrested in Multi-County Drug Sting Spurred by Overdose Death

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