Man Sentenced For Involvement In Fatal Overdose

Steven Yard. Credit: Bucks County District Attorney’s Office

A local man has been sentenced to state prison for providing the drugs that led to a woman’s overdose death.

Steven Frederick Yard Jr., 32, of Tullytown Borough, received a sentence of two-and-a-half to six years from Bucks County Court of Common Pleas Judge Gary Gilman on Monday. Upon completion of his prison term, Yard will face two additional years of probation, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.

In January, Yard pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, recklessly endangering another person, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The incident occurred on the evening of November 16, 2021. Falls Township police were called to the 100 block of Yardley Avenue in the Fallsington section of the township around 11:14 p.m. for an overdose call.

Officers arrived to find Mary Coyle, 39, deceased in a bedroom, while Yard was discovered on the floor, also overdosing, authorities said.

Yard was treated at Jefferson Bucks Hospital, and he recovered from his overdose.

An investigation found that earlier that day, Yard had traveled to Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood to purchase 12 bags of heroin, which he and Coyle used at the Yardley Avenue residence.

Authorities reported that Yard attempted CPR on Coyle upon finding her unresponsive. He admitted to using additional heroin before police arrived, hiding several bags under a couch.

Police found evidence, including a dollar bill used for snorting drugs and several blue-colored wax paper bags commonly associated with heroin packaging at the scene. Further bags containing a heroin/fentanyl mix were discovered under a couch, authorities said.