HANCOCK COUNTY — A man who was originally arrested for multiple felony drug crimes agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors late last week in which the most serious charge was dropped.
Brandon G. Anderson, 38, Fountaintown, pleaded guilty to a Level 5 felony count of dealing methamphetamine and was given a six-year prison term. Judge Scott Sirk, presiding in Hancock County Circuit Court, suspended half the sentence during a hearing held July 2.
Sirk said the sentence will allow the defendant to enter into a recovery program in prison. If he successfully completes it, a modification of the sentence may be considered.
The defendant’s lengthy criminal history, including an escape and a recent probation violation, also was a rationale for prison time, court records said.
A Level 3 felony count of possession of 28 or more grams of methamphetamine was dismissed as part of the plea agreement. That charge carried a sentence of up to 16 years in prison.
Anderson was originally arrested in August 2019 after sheriff’s deputies found drugs in the car Anderson was driving after a stop on Fountain Lake Drive in rural Greenfield, a probable cause affidavit said.
