Published: May 16, 2008 11:08 am         

Plea gives pill dealer freedom

After nine months served, Logansport man scheduled for release from jail today

A defendant charged with selling prescription drugs from his Logansport residence was found guilty on Thursday of dealing in a controlled substance.

In Cass Circuit Court, Judge Leo Burns accepted the terms of the plea deal signed by 53-year-old Donald Putnam.

In exchange for changing his plea to guilty, Putnam got 18 months in the Cass County Jail, two years on in-home detention, two and half years on supervised probation and four years on unsupervised probation.

Putnam was accused of selling $30 worth of generic Vicodin in a controlled buy in July 2006 and $50 worth of generic Xanax in another controlled buy in September of the same year. The drug deals took place out of his residence in the 800 block of Market Street. According to statements made in court, the drugs had been prescribed to Putnam.

Putnam was charged with dealing in a schedule III controlled substance, a class B felony, and dealing in a schedule IV controlled substance, a class C felony. The lesser charge was dropped by the state as part of the plea deal.

With 288 days of time served in the Cass County Jail since his arrest and credit for good behavior, Putnam was scheduled to be released this morning.

If found eligible for in-home detention, Putnam will pay about $8,100 to serve that portion of his sentence at home rather than behind bars.

The state’s case was handled by Deputy Prosecutor James Ackermann. Putnam was represented by a public defender, Jay Hirschauer.

Kevin Lilly can be reached at (574) 732-5117, or via e-mail at kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com