Former colleague says ex-Angels employee saw Skaggs do drugs

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A former Los Angeles Angels employee accused of providing the opioids that contributed to Tyler Skaggs' overdose death told a colleague he watched the Angels pitcher do drugs the night before he was found dead in a suburban Dallas hotel room, according to testimony Monday.

Eric Prescott Kay, who faces charges of drug distribution and drug conspiracy, confided in Adam Chodzko about two weeks after Skaggs’ 2019 death that he was in Skaggs’ room, Chodzko testified at trial.

Kay told Chodzko he turned down an offer from Skaggs to take drugs with him, Chodzko testified. Kay had just returned to the team from a stint in drug rehab and was one of Chodzko's subordinates on the Angels’ public relations staff at the time.

Kay said he saw three lines of drugs on a table and watched Skaggs snort them before leaving the room, according to Chodzko, who is now the Angels' director of communications.

One of Kay’s defense attorneys said in opening arguments that Skaggs wasn’t in medical distress when Kay left his room. And a police detective testified on Monday — the fourth full day of testimony in Kay's trial — that Kay lied about the last time he saw Skaggs in the hours after the pitcher was found dead.

Skaggs, 27, was found dead July 1, 2019, after the team had traveled from Los Angeles and before the start of what was supposed to be a four-game series against the Texas Rangers. A coroner’s report said Skaggs had choked to death on his vomit, and a toxic mix of alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone were in his system.

Kay served as the team's public relations contact on many road trips, and the trip to Texas was his first since returning from rehab. Kay was placed on leave shortly after Skaggs’ death, and never returned to the team.

Federal prosecutors allege...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Former-colleague-says-ex-Angels-employee-saw-16918972.php