Man sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug crimes

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HANCOCK COUNTY — A man identified as a habitual offender in original court arrest documents is now facing a 20-year prison term for a serious felony drug crime after a plea agreement was accepted in Hancock County Superior Court 1, Tuesday morning.

Donald L. Bousman, 51, Greenfield, was given a 20-year prison term for a Level 2 felony count of dealing methamphetamine in Hancock County in Febuary 2021. According to court records, the term will run concurrently with a prior Level 3 felony drug case in Henry County Circuit Court 2 and the term will run consecutively with a prior Level 5 felony drug case in Henry County Circuit Court 2.

Bousman was sentenced to 20 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections, and was given 383 days of credit for time served. The other five charges Bousman was facing in Hancock County from an incident in February 2021 were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

According to a probable cause affidavit, an official from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department pulled over a vehicle driven by Bousman heading westbound on I-70 on Feb. 2, 2021. Following a probable cause search of the car, illegal drugs were found.

The report states the Sheriff’s official pulled the car over near mile marker 95 after the law enforcement official observed the car driving erratically. The official immediately noticed the smell of marijuana coming from the car and conducted a probable cause search.

Officials found a blue, zipped bag that had a black digital scale, several small plastic baggies and a plastic baggie containing a crystal-like substance that later field-tested positive for 14 grams of methamphetamine, the report stated.

Bousman admitted the substance located in the blue bag was “meth” and the blue bag belonged to him, the affidavit said. Officials asked Bousman if he was selling any of the meth and he stated that he did, the report said.

Officials had to release Bousman at the time of the incident in February of 2021, the report stated, due to COVID restrictions at the Hancock County Jail.

Officials labeled Bousman a “habitual offender” in the report and sighted several drug-related cases against him. Court records show Bousman plead guilty for possession of meth, a Level 5 felony in Henry County in April of 2019. He’s currently facing a Level 3 felony dealing methamphetamine charge in Henry County from an incident in December 2021.

He also has other non-drug convictions in Rush and Marion counties throughout the past several years, court records state.