Two Chesterton residents were charged on Friday with possession of a narcotic drug, after Chesterton Police said that one of them overdosed on heroin a week earlier.

Andrew Gaulke, 24, and Melanie Tollas, 21, both of 971 S. Fifth St., have each been charged with possession of a narcotic drug, a Class D felony punishable by a term of six months to three years; and possession of paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a maximum term of a year, Porter County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Trista Hudson told the Chesterton Tribune.

According to police, at 8 p.m. Jan. 4 officers and EMS personnel responded to a report of a possible heroin overdose at Gaulke and Tollas’ residence. On their arrival, officers made contact with Gaulke, who advised that Tollas had overdosed on heroin after injecting approximately .10 grams just purchased in Gary, police said.

Tollas had been walking around their bedroom when she fell onto the bed, Gaulke advised, and he called 911 after noticing that she had stopped breathing and her lips had turned blue, police said.

EMS personnel were able to resuscitate Tollas and transported her to Porter Valparaiso Hospital Campus, police said. She was subsequently discharged.

Officers recovered from a dresser drawer in the bedroom eight small aluminum foil packages containing unused heroin, a spoon with residue on one side and burn marks on the other, and 10 syringes, police said.

Posted 1/14/2008