A Greenfield man is heading to prison for a fourth time following a guilty plea to trafficking charges in Highland County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday.
Daniel Butcher, 31, pled guilty to two charges of trafficking in heroin in the vicinity of a school zone, both fourth-degree felonies.
Two heroin possession charges were dismissed.
Butcher was just indicted on the charges a couple weeks ago, and on Wednesday prosecutor Anneka Collins said the state appreciated Butcher’s “expeditious way” of handling the case.
Presented in the plea agreement was a joint recommendation by the state and defense for nine months in prison on each count, and judge Rocky Coss followed the recommendation. He ordered that the sentences are to run consecutively.
Coss noted that Butcher has been to prison three previous times, but said that the court on sentencing did consider Butcher’s moving forward with the case so quickly.
In other proceedings, two cases involving Samantha C. Barnhart, 26, of Greenfield, came before the court. Defense attorney Kathryn Hapner said they are working on a resolution in both cases.
Since one of her cases was set to go before a jury next week, the judge set a new trial date after Barnhart waived her right to a speedy trial.
Hapner also asked the court to modify Barnhart’s bond to something “more reasonable.”
The defendant is charged in one case with fifth-degree felony heroin possession, and in the other case with three heroin trafficking charges and one trafficking in crack cocaine charge. All four of the counts of trafficking as charged are within the vicinity of a school zone making them fourth-degree felonies. She is also charged with the accompanying counts of fifth-degree felony possession of heroin and crack cocaine.
Her bond on each case is set at $10,000, amounts that Collins said Wednesday were “not egregious” given the charges and the defendant’s history, she said.
The judge ultimately modified one of the bond amounts, but left the other at $10,000.
Daryl Bumgarner, 27, of Leesburg, pled guilty to a fifth-degree felony heroin trafficking charge and will be sentenced in December after the completion of a presentence investigation.
According to Coss, the state in the plea agreement is recommending community control and treatment.
Reach Angela Shepherd at 937-393-3456, ext. 1681, or on Twitter @wordyshepherd.
