A 26-year-old Wheeling man recently became the first person in Ohio County to be convicted of failure to seek medical assistance in an overdose resulting in death, according to the Ohio County Prosecutor’s Office.

Ryan Allen Musick was found guilty of the charge by a jury Friday in Ohio County Circuit Court, Ohio County Prosecutor Shawn Turak said. That conviction concluded a three-day trial before Judge Michael Olejasz. He faces 1-5 years in prison.

“This case is the first of its kind in Ohio County,” Turak said in a release. “The law was enacted in 2017, and Musick is the first person to be charged and convicted of failure to render aid.

“The success we achieved last week is a direct product of excellent police work,” she continued. “The City of Wheeling Police Department and Ohio Valley Drug and Violent Crime Task Force are to be commended for their relentless commitment to eradicating drug trafficking in the Ohio Valley. I proudly stand with them.”

According to Turak, Amanda Dembrosky died of an overdose on Sept. 14, 2022. Wheeling police officers investigated her death, attributed to fentanyl intoxication by the West Virginia Medical Examiner’s Office, and were able to determine that Musick, present for the entirety of the overdose, failed to seek timely medical attention for her.

He was charged in late summer 2024 and a September 2024 Ohio County grand jury returned an indictment against him for failure to seek medical assistance in an overdose resulting in death.

“I remain proud of the investigative skill, diligence and commitment of the members of the Wheeling Police Department,” Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said. “Those traits are also demonstrated by the exhaustive efforts of our partners at the Ohio County Prosecutor’s Office and many others. Cases like these are important, and we are grateful that our prosecutors, legislators and community recognize the significance.”

Musick’s sentencing date has not yet been set.