Prison sentence issued in drug-related cases
A state prison sentence was handed down in Butler County Court on Wednesday to a man charged in several drug-related cases.
Anthony S. McGuire, 38, was sentenced to two to six years in state prison by President Judge Thomas Doerr. He was given 268 days time served credit.
He was also ordered to pay court costs, a $1,000 fine, complete an Alcohol Highway Safety School, undergo a drug and alcohol assessment, attend a Victim Impact Panel, complete the litter pickup program and 50 hours of community service.
McGuire pleaded guilty Jan. 29 to felony counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and misdemeanor driving under the influence of a controlled substance, after being charged with heroin distribution and other charges in incidents of Feb. 12, 2016, March 27 and May 31.
He was initially charged with three felony counts of possession with intent to deliver, one count of criminal use of a communications facility, three misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia after an incident on Feb. 12, 2016.
State police filed the charges after McGuire sold eight stamp bags of fentanyl, two stamp bags of heroin and 0.29 grams of crack during a $150 drug deal Feb. 12, 2016, at the Pullman Square shopping plaza.
He pleaded guilty to one felony possession with intent count in that incident, and the remaining charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Butler police then filed driving under the influence, two counts of DUI controlled substance, three counts of possession of a controlled substance, and one count each of possession of drug paraphernalia and failing to keep right after an incident on West Wayne Street on March 27.
Police said the charges stem from a near crash with a patrol vehicle. McGuire was found driving and high on drugs, police said.
He was searched and found with 19 stamp bags of suspected heroin, and inside a fast food bag in the vehicle, police found more contraband including a syringe loaded with a clear liquid, a spoon with suspected drug residue and a cigarette pack with a crack pipe in it.
Still more evidence — including $2,669 in currency — was seized from a backpack that was on the driver's seat floor, police said.
The money was in a brown paper sack within the backpack, which also contained a digital scale, eight syringes, two spoons, five razor blades and a Chore Boy copper scrubber, which is commonly used to filter crack pipes.
Additionally, police said they found in the pack three clonazepam pills and two Suboxone strips for which McGuire did not have prescriptions.
He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor DUI controlled substance charge in that incident, and the remaining charges were dismissed.
City police then charged him with two counts each of felony possession with intent and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance after an incident on East Jefferson Street on May 31.
Police said officers were searching for McGuire for a bench warrant, when he was seen getting into the passenger seat of a car at a store.
When confronted, he was found with 40 stamp bags of suspected heroin and a bag containing 3.1 grams of suspected crack cocaine, according to court documents.
He was taken to the Butler County Prison, where he admitted that he had more drugs on him. A search, police said, turned up five additional stamp bags of suspected heroin inside his shorts.
McGuire pleaded to the second felony drug distribution charge in that case, and the remaining charges were dismissed.
