CINCINNATI — A Hamilton County woman stands charged with three felonies connected to the overdose death of former Green Township attorney Richard Vanderyt.
Amanda Witt, 26, was charged Tuesday with involuntary manslaughter, corrupting another with drugs and tampering with evidence.
According to Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, Vanderyt had been Witt’s friend. Deters said when Vanderyt requested Witt provide him with cocaine, she gave him fentanyl instead.
He died of an overdose on March 16, 2020. Before his time as an attorney, Vanderyt also served as a Green Township police officer from 1991-’98, according to a memorial posted by the Greater Cincinnati Police Museum. He left the force to study law.
“Rich Vanderyt was a respected member of the Cincinnati Bar and his death is a loss to our community," Deters wrote in a news release. "Sadly, we are seeing more cases where people think they are ingesting one substance when in reality it is something much deadlier."
Vanderyt was 49 years old at the time of his death.
If convicted, Witt could spend over 20 years in prison.
