Butler man pleads guilty to drug distribution
Moments before choosing a jury to hear a drug distribution case, a defendant entered a guilty plea in Butler County Court on Thursday.
Darnell A. Wynn, 37, of Butler pleaded guilty to felony possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance before Judge William Shaffer.
The charges stem from an investigation by the state police, who said Wynn sold 1.54 grams of crack and a stamp bag of heroin to an informant during a $250 drug deal May 23, 2016, at West Brady and Broad streets.
Police said the informant set up the deal with an individual known as Dontae Smith, later identified as Wynn, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
The document states that Dontae Smith was later positively identified as Wynn using facial recognition.
Wynn's attorney, public defender Joseph Smith, argued that the informant identified the defendant as Dontae Smith, and police were under the assumption that the transaction would be made by Dontae Smith, and was the suspect who was identified as Dontae Smith by police.
It wasn't until 14 days later that police identified Wynn as the man through social media.
A full report will appear in the Butler Eagle.
