A Wareham man is being charged with manslaughter after he allegedly sold heroin to a Wareham woman who later overdosed and died.

Steven D. Foss, 33, was indicted May 1 by the Plymouth County Grand Jury on one count of manslaughter, in connection with a drug overdose that occurred in February.

This is the first time Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz has brought manslaughter charges in connection with an alleged street dealer and an overdose death.

“Substance abuse issues are haunting our neighborhoods,” Cruz said. “We need to fight this problem on all levels in order to send a strong message and take back our communities.”

On February 21, 2015, Wareham Police received a 911 call for a suspected drug overdose. Officers arrived at the scene and found the victim, 25-year-old Paige Lopes, already dead.

The charges against Foss allege that Lopes purchased $80 worth of heroin from Foss, ingested the drug and died.

Foss was arraigned May 6 in Brockton Superior Court. He was also arraigned on five counts of distribution of a class A substance (Heroin) and one count of possession with the intent to distribute a class A substance (Heroin).

Cruz commended the work of Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to his office and Wareham Police for investigating this case. Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Richard Linehan requested that Foss be held on $50,000 cash bail and Brockton Superior Court Judge Thomas F. McGuire Jr. granted that request.

Foss is next expected to appear in court on June 4 for pre-trial conference.