Jeroyd Conyers

A former Butler man was sentenced in county court on Monday to nearly 12 years in prison for the third time, after appealing his previous sentences on legal grounds to the Pennsylvania Superior Court.

Jeroyd P. Conyers, 42, was sentenced Monday to 11½ to 22½ years in state prison by Judge Timothy McCune following a resentencing hearing, according to assistant district attorney Richard Bosco.

On Dec. 17, 2013, Conyers was originally sentenced to a term of 12 to 24 years incarceration after pleading guilty to six felony charges in five cases, including possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and former convict not to possess a weapon, in October 2013.

He appealed that sentence beginning in 2014. In May 2016, that appeal was granted in county court.

Conyers initially filed a Post-Conviction Relief Act motion, which was dismissed in May 2014 without a hearing. He appealed that decision, but that appeal was also dismissed. In August 2015 another PCRA petition was filed challenging the legality of the mandatory minimum sentences.

That PCRA was granted in May 2016. On July 15, 2016, following a resentencing hearing, the court altered the sentence for three counts in three of the five cases, which resulted in Conyers sentence of 11½ to 24 years' incarceration.

Conyers then challenged the legality of that second sentence to the state Superior Court. He argued that he was denied the benefit of his original plea agreement, which provided that he “would receive a downward departure from the [sentencing] guidelines,” according to the Superior Court decision.

That argument was denied for lack of information, as no sentencing recommendation was agreed upon in the open pleas.

Coyners also argued the legality of the sentence due to the mandatory minimum sentences imposed. The Superior Court previously deemed mandatory minimum sentences unconstitutional unless there was a specific jury finding, which had not occurred because Conyers pleaded guilty.

The Superior Court decision remanding these cases back to county court, which was filed in October, states that on Sept. 1, 2017, “the trial court conceded that appellant (Conyers) is serving at least one illegal sentence, a mandatory minimum sentence … of 36 to 72 months' incarceration … the trial court also acknowledged two additional errors related to appellant's resentencing. As a result, the trial court requested that this court 'remand these cases to the Court of Common Pleas for resentencing.'”

Bosco said at Monday's hearing he requested Conyers receive the same sentence but without the mandatory minimums, which was accomplished by changing the concurrency of several of the cases, leading to the sentence of 11½ to 22½ years in state prison.

According to court records, Conyers' original arrest was part of a yearlong investigation by county narcotics officers. Investigators believe Conyers regularly helped funnel heroin to Butler from his hometown of Chicago.

During the task force investigation, Conyers sold 10- to 50-bag quantities of heroin to a police informant on three occasions at a store on South Main Street in Butler.

Butler police arrested Conyers following a traffic stop in the city. Conyers, a passenger in the car, was found with 120 bags of heroin and $1,860 in currency, according to court documents.

Later that afternoon the task force searched Conyers' home at 118 Fourth Ave. and found 320 bags of heroin as well as an ounce of bulk heroin still not packaged. Additionally, officers turned up a revolver with its serial number filed off.

Conyers was on probation for two Butler County cases, a drug violation and a simple assault, when the new arrests occurred, according to previous reporting.

His attorney, Matthew Kalina, was unable to be reached for comment Tuesday.