A Butler man will stay in Butler County Prison despite his request for a bond reduction lining up a move to state prison.

Held in lieu of $50,000 bond, Wiliam S. Stuteville, 32, appeared for a preliminary hearing Monday before District Judge William Fullerton.

Stuteville’s attorney, Tyler Deluco, requested the removal of his client’s bond. The move would have sent Stuteville to state prison, where he could accrue time served for a parole violation. Deluco said they would do so knowing it would forgo any time served in the local case.

The Butler County Drug Task Force filed charges against Stuteville in March, accusing him of manufacturing and selling drugs out of a Zeigler Avenue apartment.

Entering the hearing, he was charged with four felony counts of drug sales, one felony count of prohibited possession of a gun and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Assistant District Attorney Laura Pitchford opposed the motion. She said the bond keeps Stuteville in a local jail, where he can be easily brought to future court proceedings for the case.

“It actually expedited the process,” Pitchford said.

Before denying the bond reduction, Fullerton said he also had concerns about releasing Stuteville’s bond due to the severity of the case.

During his testimony, Butler County Det. John Johnson said authorities found about four ounces of crack cocaine, 11 grams of suspected fentanyl and a 9 mm pistol as well as multiple pieces of drug sales and use paraphernalia when he was charged.

Pitchford motioned to add a new felony count of possessing stolen property related to the gun, which Johnson said had been fully loaded with a chambered round, making it ready to fire.

“Later it was found that the gun was stolen from a person who resides in Evans City,” Johnson said.

Johnson said there is an ongoing state police investigation related to the gun as well.

During cross-examination, Deluco focused on the other people who were in the home with Stuteville when police entered the apartment.

Lindsay Maples, 33, of Butler, was charged with drug paraphernalia possession following the bust, and another man has not been charged.

Johnson said drug paraphernalia, syringes and crack pipes were found in Maples’ purse but not drug sale paraphernalia.

Deluco asked if there was evidence the two others were living in the apartment with Stuteville. Johnson said he believed most of the clothes and items belonged to Stuteville.

“I believe they were just crashing there,” Johnson said.

Det. Tim Fennell, chief of the drug task force, also testified Monday, largely about his conversation with Stuteville. He said Stuteville directed investigators to the drugs when asked if there were any unsafe materials in the home.

“He said there was a bag of fentanyl in a dresser drawer,” Fennell said. “He told me there was five ounces of cocaine underneath the dresser drawer.”

Deluco pressed Fennell about other forms of paraphernalia found, specifically those tied to drug sales. Fennell said detectives found baggies commonly used for drug packaging, but none of them contained drugs.

“There were no drugs in the entire house that were packaged and ready for sale?” asked Deluco.

“That would be a fair statement,” Fennell said.

Deluco also asked both detectives whether any direct sales or deals were observed before probation visited the apartment. Both said deals were not actively observed; however, Johnson said the crack cocaine appeared to have been recently cooked and in the process of “drying.”

Following testimony, Deluco made no argument toward the charges.

Stuteville is scheduled to appear next for formal arraignment in Butler Common Pleas Court.