Man guilty of homicide in Grafton heroin death

Ozaukee DA recommends Milwaukee resident who pleaded to charge be sentenced to eight years in prison

Davion Poe
By 
BILL SCHANEN IV
Ozaukee Press staff

A Milwaukee drug dealer pleaded guilty last week to selling heroin to a 32-year-old Town of Grafton woman who overdosed and died just hours after her father drove her to meet the dealer in July 2017.  

Judge Dennis Moroney, who was presiding on behalf of Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Joseph Voiland during the Wednesday, Feb. 21, hearing, found Davion J. Poe, 26, guilty of first-degree reckless homicide.

Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Sisley recommended that Poe be ordered to serve eight years in prison followed by 10 years of extended supervision when he is sentenced on March 31. 

Poe has been held in the Ozaukee County jail since being arrested in July in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Poe sold heroin to Taralyn Hibbard, who was found dead in the bedroom of a trailer park home off Port Washington Road in the Town of Grafton on Monday, July 10. A friend who called 911 told authorities that Hibbard struggled with heroin addiction and had been living with her for the last three months, according to the criminal complaint.

Found near Hibbard were syringes, makeshift tourniquets and other drug paraphernalia, as well as Narcan, a medication that blocks the effects of opioid drugs and is used to revive overdose victims. According to a text message authorities later found on Hibbard’s phone, she overdosed just days before her death and was revived with Narcan administered by her father, the complaint states.

The forensic pathologist who performed an autopsy said that while a final cause of death is pending toxicology tests, it appeared to be a drug overdose, according to the complaint.

Authorities examined Hibbard’s cell phone and found a text exchange about how to buy drugs with a subject listed as Daddy, who investigators learned is Hibbard’s father Terry Hibbard. Also found on the phone was a text message exchange with a person named Cheese about buying $60 of heroin, the complaint states.

Authorities interviewed Mr. Hibbard, who said his daughter had bought heroin from a dealer named Cheese. When asked how he knew that, Mr. Hibbard said he had driven her to Milwaukee to buy the drug as he usually did once or twice a week, according to the complaint.

Mr. Hibbard said that on Sunday, July 9, he drove his daughter to 60th Street north of Good Hope Road, where they met Cheese. He said his daughter got into Cheese’s car and purchased $60 of heroin, which he described as “really potent,” the complaint states.

Mr. Hibbard said he and his daughter went home, where she gave him a “line to snort.” He said she kept the rest of the heroin, adding that “she always did a lot,” according to the complaint.

Mr. Hibbard said the last time he saw his daughter was midnight the day she died.

Working with agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Mr. Hibbard, the Ozaukee County Drug Unit set up two undercover drug buys in which Mr. Hibbard purchased heroin from Cheese, who authorities identified as Poe.

Poe is charged under the Len Bias law, which is named for the University of Maryland basketball star who died of a cocaine overdose two days after being drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1986. It allows prosecutors to charge suspected drug dealers with reckless homicide in connection with the deaths of people they supplied drugs to.    

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Ozaukee Press

Wisconsin’s largest paid circulation community weekly newspaper. Serving Port Washington, Saukville, Grafton, Fredonia, Belgium, as well as Ozaukee County government. Locally owned and printed in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

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