By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
Two Cedar City residents have been sentenced to a combined 27 years in federal prison for providing the fentanyl that led to the overdose death of a Utah woman last spring.
John Parry, 40, was sentenced to 15 years and his co-defendant Kimberly Dawn Hare, 34, received 12 years during a hearing this week in U.S. District Court. Both pleaded guilty in November to distribution of fentanyl resulting in death.
Federal prosecutors said Parry traveled to Salt Lake City in April 2024 to obtain fentanyl pills and used Hare’s Facebook account to arrange a drug sale to the victim. After returning to Cedar City, he gave the pills to Hare, who delivered them to the woman at a local hotel. Less than an hour later, the victim was found dead.
Toxicology results later confirmed she had a lethal amount of fentanyl in her system, along with traces of methamphetamine and amphetamine.
Court records show agents with the Iron/Garfield/Beaver Counties Narcotics Task Force began investigating the case after emergency responders found the woman unresponsive at the Ramada Inn on April 20. Narcan had already been administered at the scene, and fentanyl-laced pills were recovered nearby.
Surveillance footage and witness statements helped identify Hare and Parry as suspects. Investigators later executed a search warrant at the couple’s home, where they found drug paraphernalia accessible to three children living in the residence. One informant told police the pair routinely smoked fentanyl around their young children, even blowing smoke in a toddler’s face.
Both were arrested in early May and charged with manslaughter and multiple felony drug and child endangerment offenses. The federal charges later superseded the state case.
As part of their sentencing, Parry and Hare were also ordered to pay more than $4,600 in restitution to cover the victim’s funeral costs. Once released, both will be placed on supervised release for three years.
“This was a preventable death,” Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti said in a statement. “No amount of imprisonment will undo what happened, but we hope this brings some measure of closure and sends a message about the dangers of fentanyl.”