Jayden Gene Groninger, 27, Burlington, received a deferred imposition of sentence for three years on Tuesday for dealing heroin to a 21-year-old Garrison man who later overdosed in April 2017.

Under the terms of a plea deal worked out with the state, Groninger was sentenced to three years in prison, all suspended but the 20 days he has already served in prison, and three years of supervised probation. The Class B felony charge will be dismissed if he successfully completes probation. Mattson also ordered Groninger to have no contact with the family of the young man who overdosed.

Judge Doug Mattson also ordered Groninger to pay $775 in court costs.

The state agreed to dismiss two other Class B felony drug delivery and one Class C felony drug delivery charge against Groninger.

According to statements in court and court documents, Groninger delivered heroin to the young man in a parking lot in Minot in April 2017. Text messages Groninger and the young man exchanged after the deal established the time, date and place of the delivery of heroin.

The young man was found dead in Garrison on April 30, 2017, of an overdose of combined stimulant, opioid, antidepressant and tranquilizer drug poisoning. The overdose victim, who was not identified in the affidavit, had phentermine, buprenorphine, sertraline, and alprazolam in his system.

Mattson had rejected the same plea deal for Groninger last year because the cause involved the loss of a life. Special prosecutor Marie Miller told Mattson last week at a pre-trial conference that circumstances have changed and the state would not be able to present certain evidence if the case went to trial because one of the state’s other witnesses has since died. The death took place in another jurisdiction and the Ward County State’s Attorney’s Office could only prosecute for the delivery of heroin in Minot. McLean County has not filed charges against Groninger related to the death. Miller also said she has consulted with the overdose victim’s family and they were in agreement with the sentence.

Mattson made note that Groninger has completed drug treatment and taken other steps to reform over the last year and a half.

At the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Groninger told the judge that he had not foreseen that any harm would come to his friend when he provided him with the drugs. At the time of the drug deal, Groninger explained, he was a drug addict who surrounded himself with other drug addicts and drugs. The motive was likely “getting free drugs,” he said.

Groninger told the judge he is now doing well in his work and is drug free.

“I’m not. I’m done,” Groninger told Mattson. “I’m going to be sober for the rest of my life. I know my consequences. I’m not going back.”

Mattson is pleased with how well Groninger has done but cautioned him that he is a recovering addict and it is a lifelong problem.