Buttery set for sentencing today

GREENCASTLE -- A Crawfordsville man currently incarcerated at the Putnamville Correctional facility is set to be in Putnam County Circuit Court today to be sentenced on a felony drug dealing charge.

Brandon S. Buttery, 27, was charged in Putnam County with Class A felony dealing in methamphetamine, Class B felony dealing in methamphetamine and Class C felonies illegal possession of anhydrous ammonia or ammonia solution and possession of chemical reagents or precursors in connection with an October 2008 incident in which Greencastle Police Department officers discovered during a traffic stop multiple items used in the manufacturing of meth.

On June 3, Buttery pled guilty to the Class B felony charge. He also admitted to being a habitual offender.

Under the terms of a plea agreement struck between Buttery's counsel and Putnam County Deputy Prosecutor James Hanner, Buttery would receive a sentence of 15 years for the B felony charge, with a 10-year enhancement for the habitual offender designation. The sentences would run consecutively with five years suspended for the dealing charge, for a total of 25 years with five years suspended.

The plea agreement stipulates that Buttery may petition the court for a reduction or modification after he is sentenced.

The maximum sentence for a Class B felony is 20 years. The charge carries a minimum prison sentence of six years. Judge Matthew Headley has taken the proposed plea agreement under advisement, but is under no obligation to accept it.

Buttery was convicted in Montgomery County in on May 11, 2009 of Class D felonies possession of precursors (two counts) and resisting law enforcement. He was handed a prison sentence, and his earliest possible release date is listed on the Indiana Department of Correction Web site as Nov. 18, 2011.

Buttery's Putnam County case has been continued numerous times. He has been represented by five different public defenders. His current attorney is Joel C. Wieneke.