Travis Duttine

A man was sentenced to 2 to 5 years in state prison after pleading guilty in four cases, including one where he escaped from Butler County Prison and led a chase in North Carolina and South Carolina in a stolen vehicle.

Travis R. Duttine, 29, of East Brady, Clarion County, was sentenced Thursday, June 1, in Butler County Common Pleas Court by Judge Kelley Streib for charges including escape, gun possession, harassment and unauthorized use of motor vehicles.

In his first case, Duttine was sentenced to 24 to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to misdemeanor charge of prohibited possession of a firearm.

State police filed charges against him following a June 14, 2022, incident at a home in Eau Claire where he injured himself with handgun that he was not allowed to have due to a previous felony conviction.

Duttine was not permitted to possess a firearm due to his criminal history, police said, which includes charges and convictions dating to 2014 of theft, forgery and aggravated assault.

Police said the 9 mm handgun Duttine used in June 2022 incident belonged to Jessica Custer, 34, of Hilliards, his former girlfriend.

Custer was involved in Duttine’s escape from Butler County Prison on Aug. 26, 2022, after he was released on a four-hour furlough for his father’s funeral, documents showed.

Police said Custer had stolen a truck from an acquaintance to pick up Duttine.

The two drove to North Carolina, where police spotted them and began a pursuit. The chase ended in South Carolina, where Duttine crashed the vehicle and fled into a wooded area.

Once taken into custody, state police charged Duttine with felony escape and misdemeanor unauthorized use of motor vehicles.

Custer was also charged with escape, unauthorized use of motor vehicles and theft. She has not yet been sentenced.

On Thursday, June 2, Duttine was given a concurrent sentence of 15 to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to the escape charge, and sentenced to concurrently serve 6 to 24 months in prison for the unauthorized use of a vehicle charge.

Duttine was also fined $25 after pleading guilty to charges of harassment and criminal mischief filed by state police following a May 1, 2022, incident in Washington Township.