Ryan C. Mullen (left) and Tina L. Rivera

A Butler man pleaded guilty Wednesday in Butler County Court to possessing and consuming a controlled substance in the courtroom in February.

Ryan C. Mullen, 31, entered the guilty plea to misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance before Judge Timothy McCune.

The plea agreement calls for a sentence of 11½ to 23½ months in Butler County Prison.

Mullen was being held following an alleged knife-wielding attack against another man in a withdrawn case, when police say his mother, Tina L. Rivera, 48, of Butler Township, slipped him a Suboxone strip as he sat in handcuffs in the courtroom awaiting a preliminary hearing.

A witness recounted seeing her remove a Suboxone strip from her purse and give it to Mullen, who had his hands cuffed in front of him. He placed the strip under his tongue, according to the witness account.

Rivera was charged with furnishing a controlled substance to an inmate, conspiracy and delivering a controlled substance, conspiracy to contraband, and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

A full report will appear in the Butler Eagle.