Broc Baughman, pictured with his attorney Steve Callejas, was sentenced Wednesday in Putnam County Common Pleas Court to 54 months in prison for selling bulk amounts of methamphetamine to a confidential informant earlier this year. Baughman received an idential sentence in Paulding County on Tuesday for similar drug sales.
J Swygart | The Lima News
OTTAWA — A man who earlier this year on successive days sold methamphetamine to an undercover informant from his Ottoville home was sentenced Wednesday in Putnam County Common Pleas Court to 54 months in prison.
Broc Baughman, 32, received an identical sentence just 24 hours earlier in Paulding County for identical drug sales. Acting on a request from defense attorney Steve Callejas, Putnam County Common Pleas Court Judge Keith Schierloh on Wednesday agreed to run Baughman’s sentence concurrently his Paulding County case. In doing so Schierloh allowed the Ottoville man to be eligible to request a judicial release from prison after serving a smaller portion of his sentence.
Schierloh told the Ottoville man that an early release was not guaranteed and urged Baughman to make wise use of his time in prison.
Restitution in the amount of $1,300 was awarded to the Northwest Ohio Multi-Area Narcotics Unit which had set up the controlled drug buys.
Baughman was indicted by a Putnam County grand jury in September on two counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs, first-degree felonies. The indictment alleged that on March 5 and March 6 of this year he did knowingly sell methamphetamine from his home at 175 Wayne St. in Ottoville and that the sales were made in the vicinity of Ottoville school.
On March 5 Baughman is alleged to have sold 22.6 grams of meth to the confidential informant at a cost of $650. One day later the informant purchased 58.6 grams of meth for $1,300.
Assistant Putnam County Prosecuting Attorney Todd Schroeder said a plea deal was executed that called for Baughman to plead guilty to amended third-degree counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs in exchange for the removal of language about the school and bulk amount of drugs removed.
Baughman told Schierloh prior to sentencing that he sold the drugs to support his own meth habit, which he developed after being prescribed painkillers following a 2011 accident. He turned to meth, he told the judge, when the prescription ran its course.
“I got caught up with the wrong people and things snowballed. I’m sorry,” he told the judge.
Baughman told Schierloh his supplier was “a guy in Delphos.”
“Broc is a drug addict,” Callejas said. “He did something criminal and that’s why we’re here. He should be punished, but I don’t believe this is who Broc is.”
