A Minot man has been sentenced to serve five years in state prison after pleading guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death or injury, a Class A felony.

Justin Marshall Rostad, 32, Minot, appeared in North Central District Court on Thursday for a preliminary hearing during which he entered a plea of guilty to the Class A felony.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the charge against Rostad originated from a Minot Police investigation of a narcotics overdose on April 9 after a man was found unconscious inside a vehicle in southeast Minot. Responding officers administered naloxone to the victim, who was transported to a Minot hospital for medical evaluation.

The victim told investigators he had contacted a man named Chantz Conaway, 33, New Town, to purchase a “point,” or 0.1 grams, of fentanyl.

The victim said he met Conaway in the southeast Minot parking lot he was later found in to complete the transaction, and indicated a third man who identified as “Chris” was in Conaway’s vehicle. The victim believed “Chris” was the source of the fentanyl. The victim said he proceeded to smoke the fentanyl powder he was provided at which point he overdosed. The victim informed police his laptop and checkbook were stolen from his vehicle during the overdose.

Investigators obtained video surveillance from a nearby business which recorded the transaction and identified the license plate of the vehicle driven by Conaway. The owner of the vehicle was contacted, who confirmed Conaway had borrowed it the day of the overdose.

Conaway was arrested on an unrelated warrant on April 12, and was interviewed by investigators regarding the overdose. Conaway identified “Chris” as Rostad, saying he had contacted him to acquire the fentanyl requested by the victim.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Conaway told police he returned to the parking lot after dropping Rostad off, and found the victim overdosing. Conaway said he administered naloxone to the victim before he fled the scene. A search of Conaway’s phone located messages with Rostad arranging for the purchase of the narcotic. Rostad was arrested on April 17.

District Judge Gary Lee sentenced Rostad to 10 years with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation with five years suspended pending the completion of three years of supervised probation. He was given credit for 74 days already served. Rostad was assessed $125 in court fines and fees, and $900 seized during his arrest was ordered to be forfeited to law enforcement.

Conaway was also charged with distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death or injury, but the case is listed as inactive based on court records pending his arrest.