A Nova Scotia father wants police to lay charges in the death of his son, who died of a drug overdose last summer.
Scott Galpin says he and his son Mike were in contact via Facebook as they watched the UFC fights the night of July 20, 2014. Galpin says Mike had been drinking heavily and was in counselling for prescription drug abuse.
“He told me he wanted to get high,” says the Springhill resident.
But he says his son ignored his advice and alleges that he called a man he knew could get him the drugs he wanted.
“Took him to Amherst, bought the drugs, he assisted Mike in shooting up and he died instantly.”
Two days later, Galpin faced the toughest decision he has ever had to make.
“I had to make the decision to pull the plug on him.”
The medical examiner’s report concluded that extreme amounts of hydromorphone, Dilaudid and alcohol killed the 24-year-old father of two.
Galpin alleges the man who helped his son also sold prescription drugs to Kody Cook, who had overdosed a month earlier.
“I think someone needs to be held accountable; two deaths, two young people,” says Galpin.
Amherst Police Chief Ian Naylor acknowledges there is a prescription drug problem in the Amherst area, but doesn’t know if it’s any worse than in other areas of Nova Scotia.
However, he does say the street crime unit made up of Amherst and Springhill police and RCMP is seeing more evidence of prescription drug abuse.
“The majority of the information they’re getting now is on prescription drugs,” says Naylor. “What we’re seeing now is hydromorphone, Percocet. Oxycontin is coming up more often.”
He says police will always investigate a drug overdose, even without a death, if they are made aware of one.
Meanwhile, Galpin says he is still waiting to hear from the RCMP about the investigation related to the death of his son.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Rick Grant
