Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler Details Lengthy Prison Sentence in Port Jervis Drug and Gun Cases

Port Jervis Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Possessing Loaded Firearm and Cocaine With the Intent to Sell

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, Butchie Middleton, 37, of Port Jervis, was sentenced in Orange County Court to an aggregate term of ten (10) years in prison and five (5) years of post-release supervision in relation to his guilty plea to Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree.

As alleged in charging documents and statements made in court, on July 22, 2022 City of Port Jervis Police Officers responded to a disturbance involving a gun.  It was learned that the defendant threatened another person with the gun, which was in a shopping bag.  Before the police arrived, Middleton had discarded the weapon but the victim was able to direct the officers to the location where they recovered the loaded firearm.  Subsequent DNA analysis performed on the weapon matched the defendantand he was arrested.  While that matter was pending, the City of Port Jervis Police Department conducted an approximately four-month long investigation into Middleton selling cocaine in and around the City of Port Jervis.  As a result of that investigation, a judicially-authorized search warrant was executed at a residence in the City of Port Jervis, where the defendant was present.  The search warrant execution resulted in the recovery of tools of the drug trade, including drug packaging materials, scales and empty baggies.  In court, Middleton admitted both to illegally possessing the gun and to possessing cocaine with the intent to sell it.

District Attorney Hoovler thanked the City of Port Jervis Police Department for their investigation and arrest of Middleton. 

“Far too often we find illegally possessed firearms in the hands and at the disposal of drug dealers,” said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. “I have prioritized the prosecution of illegally possessed firearms for precisely this reason: dangerous guns should not be in the hands of dangerous individuals with dangerous intentions.  The lengthy prison sentence here, in light of the defendant’s criminal history, is both significant and warranted.  I applaud the hard work by the police officers who conducted both investigations.  This case underscores the commitment of law enforcement to rid our streets of the dangers associated with drugs and drug dealers.”

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alexis Gregory.

Criminal charges are merely allegations that a defendant has committed violations of the criminal law, and as such they are not evidence of guilt. All defendants have a presumption of innocence and are entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the burden of the State of New York to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.