Butler man sentenced
A Butler man was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal drug charges.
Charles Perkins, 27, pleaded guilty to a charge of possession with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl and a quantity of cocaine base, commonly known as crack. His sentence includes three years of probation.
He was charged after state police pulled him over Aug. 6, 2020, at South Duffy and New Castle roads in Butler Township due to a defective brake light, according to Cindy K. Chung, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Police reported seeing marijuana on the front passenger seat and several stamp bags in a plastic bag on the floor behind the driver's seat. Perkins admitted that the bag containing 300 stamp bags was his, and that he was on his way to Butler City to sell the drugs, Chung said. Police also seized $965 from Perkins.
Following his sentencing in federal court, Perkins was remanded into the custody of U.S. Marshals to be returned to the Butler County Prison from Pittsburgh. He has five pending criminal cases in the Butler County Court of Common Pleas. He will begin his federal sentence after resolution of the county cases. Two of the county cases involve drug charges. One case alleges reckless endangerment of another person and institutional vandalism of an educational facility. The other two cases include charges of simple assault and harassment and a summary traffic violation.
In the federal case, Perkins faced a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $1 million.
