Butts pleads guilty to dealing crack; gets more than 20 years in prison

WILMINGTON – United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court yesterday Senior United States District Judge James C. Fox sentenced COURTNEY JACKSON BUTTS III, 36, of New Hanover County, North Carolina, to 246 months’ imprisonment followed by five years’ supervised release.

On August 28, 2009, a Federal Grand Jury returned a Superseding Criminal Indictment. On November 11, 2009, BUTTS pled guilty to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack).

The investigation showed that BUTTS was responsible for distributing four kilograms of cocaine base and cocaine from 2007 until his arrest in July 2009. The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Vice and Narcotics division made four undercover purchases from BUTTS between November 2008 and December 2008. BUTTS’ criminal history includes three separate convictions for conspiracy or sale of cocaine.

INFORMATION FROM A NEWS RELEASE SENT TO THE WWAY NEWSCHANNEL 3 NEWSROOM.