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A Superior Court judge in Bangor will decide if a father accused of allowing his 11-month-old daughter to get into his stash of fentanyl, overdose and nearly die last year is guilty of multiple drug charges.
Zachary Borg, 28, of Corinna has pleaded not guilty to one count each of aggravated furnishing of drugs to a minor, a Class B crime; domestic violence reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, a Class C crime; and endangering the welfare of a child and drug possession, both Class D crimes.
The weapon in the reckless conduct charge was the fentanyl that was found in several rooms in the couple’s home.
The trial began Tuesday before Superior Court Justice William Anderson at the Penobscot Judicial Center. Anderson will have to determine whether drugs left where young children can access them qualifies as a weapon under Maine law.
Investigators found fentanyl in several rooms of the parents’ home, including their daughter’s bedroom, where fentanyl was found in the child’s playpen, according to the Penobscot County District Attorney’s office. Fentanyl residue was also found on her teddy bear.
The girl’s mother, Taezja DiPietro, 24, of Corinna, is facing the same charges as Borg. She is expected to testify against him and be tried at a later date.
The parents were arrested after the dispatch center in Bangor received a call at about 9:17 a.m. on June 26, 2021, reporting the child was in medical distress, according to the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office. The child was in cardiac arrest when first responders arrived.
She was taken to Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital in Pittsfield, where she was successfully resuscitated and stabilized, then flown by LifeFlight to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
Information about her condition and recovery has not been released.
If convicted, her parents face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000 on the most serious charge of aggravated drug furnishing.
