On Monday, we told you about the Hillsborough County state attorney’s office's decision to file manslaughter charges against Titan Goodson. Investigators say in April 2017, Goodson was with Katie Golden when the Plant High School senior overdosed on heroin.
Prosecutors say Goodson was responsible for putting Golden in a situation where she needed medical attention - but waited hours to call for help.
The story is another sad chapter in what’s become an opioid epidemic here in the Tampa Bay area. Katie Golden’s father spoke with 10News about Goodson’s arrest, the message he hopes it sends -- and the warning he has for other parents.
"Katie was born at 2 pounds," he said. She "spent the first four months at St. John’s hospital. I prayed every night that she would make it and she did. She was a miracle baby. I don’t know if she should’ve walked this earth. She had a lot of strikes against her in the beginning."
He said his daughter had experiences with drugs in the past, but she seemed to be past the worst of them.
"Katie was doing really well. She was four weeks away from graduating high school. She did have a little issue with smoking marijuana. We were constantly getting her help.
"She was doing all the right steps to kind of kick a bad habit. And, somehow, she got involved with the mistake. Surround yourself with the wrong people, and (she) paid for with her life.
He said his daughter and Goodson snorted heroin. "I believe it had fentanyl in there. I believe that’s what killed Katie."
The police report said she overdosed about midnight, but Goodson didn't call the police until 5:30 a.m.
"The doctor said if they would’ve called an hour earlier Katie would’ve been fine," her father said.
He said by sharing Katie’s story, he hopes to save someone’s life.
"I want to use Katie‘s name for good. And share her story, and hopefully it will create some conversations at the dinner table tonight between parents and kids about what they’re up to. And share that these drugs can kill. And you do it one time, and it’s enough."
The Golden family is also working to pass a law named for their daughter. “Katie’s Law” would make it illegal to help minors get drugs, not just sell it to them. Even transporting a child to a location where they could knowingly buy or use drugs would be a crime.
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