Butler prisoner to be released in drug case
A Butler man is expected to be released from county jail when he is sentenced, after pleading guilty to several cases in county Court on Tuesday.
Richard J. Dortman, 56, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault, driving under the influence of controlled substances and two counts of possession of a controlled substance before Judge William Shaffer.
The plea agreements call for a sentence of 60 months in the county Intermediate Punishment program, with 90 days in Butler County Prison. He is expected to be paroled from the county facility when he is sentenced later. The parole will be followed by 12 months of probation.
He will also be ordered to pay court costs, restitution and $1,500 in fines and complete 100 hours of community service.
The charges stem from three cases. Dortman was initially charged with misdemeanor simple assault after an incident on May 24; two misdemeanor counts of DUI controlled substance after an incident on June 6; and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and summary public drunkenness after an incident on Nov. 1.
The remaining charges will be dismissed as part of the plea.
Butler City police filed the charges in the May 24 incident after Dortman hit his girlfriend, Lili Szymecki, and threatened to kill her at the couple's home in the 300 block of West North Street.
Police said Dortman had become angry at the woman “for spending too much time in the bathroom,” according to court documents, before he started throwing things and grabbed her and threw her to the floor, saying he was going to kill her.
The woman suffered minor injuries, police said.
City police filed charges in the June incident after Dortman was involved in a two-vehicle crash at New Castle and Cunningham streets and was found to be under the influence of a controlled substance.
Dortman was charged by Butler police in the November incident, after a report of a man and woman being dragged from a home and placed on the sidewalk.
Dortman and Szymecki were found unconscious on the sidewalk in the 300 block of West Brady Street. Both appeared to have overdosed, police said.
Szymecki and Dortman were both revived with Narcan, and both were found to be wanted on warrants.
A search of Szymecki's purse turned up 50 stamp bags of suspected heroin, one bag of suspected cocaine, four drug-smoking pipes and two spoons, documents said. Dortman was found with four stamp bags and 10 empty bags of suspected heroin, a small baggie of suspected marijuana and a used syringe.
Both were charged. Szymecki awaits further court proceedings in her cases.
Dortman is also awaiting a non-jury trial on Friday for an alleged DUI incident on May 11.
