Butler County Jury Convicts New Bethlehem Man of Drug Charges Despite Destroyed Evidence

BUTLER CO., Pa. (EYT) — A Butler County Common Pleas Court jury convicted a New Bethlehem man of felony drug delivery and misdemeanor possession on Wednesday, despite state police mistakenly destroying the physical evidence from his arrest.

According to the court docket, the jury found 34-year-old Dillon James Trice guilty of one felony count of possession with intent to manufacture or deliver and one misdemeanor count of intentional possession of a controlled substance. The docket shows that the jury acquitted Trice of a second misdemeanor possession charge.

The charges followed a June 17, 2022, traffic stop on Route 28 in Buffalo Township, Butler County, according to a report by The Cranberry Eagle. State police reported that Trice possessed 120 stamp bags of heroin and fentanyl with a market value of $1,200, along with a small amount of crystal methamphetamine.

Trice did not testify during the two-day trial, The Cranberry Eagle reported. Following the verdict, Judge Joseph Kubit revoked Trice’s original $10,000 bail and set a new bail at $100,000, according to the court docket. Court records indicate that deputy sheriffs transferred Trice to the Butler County Prison.

Assistant District Attorney Robert Zanella requested the higher bail because sentencing guidelines suggest a prison term of 42 to 54 months, according to The Cranberry Eagle. Judge Kubit noted that the potential sentence length created a risk that Trice might flee before sentencing, the news outlet reported.

According to the court docket, Judge Kubit scheduled the sentencing hearing for July 16.

Defense attorney Zachary Coblentz told the jury that the case against Trice lacked actual proof of possession because the physical evidence was missing, according to The Eagle’s report. Retired Sergeant Jeremy Bowser testified that the drugs were located inside a backpack on the back seat next to Trice, the news outlet noted.

According to the report, state police mistakenly destroyed the physical evidence in May 2024. Zanella argued that photographs of the backpack, receipts, and a store bag established guilt, and stated that Trice previously confessed during an unrecorded phone call with Bowser, according to The Cranberry Eagle.

It was noted in The Cranberry Eagle that a codefendant, 39-year-old Todd William Cessna, of Shelocta, Indiana County, pleaded guilty to a felony drug delivery charge in September 2024 and is currently serving a prison sentence of four to 10 years.