Agreeing with a recommendation of a jury in February, Associate District Judge Brendon Bridges formally sentenced career criminal Joshua Butler to five life sentences in prison plus 11 years on Wednesday, May 1.
During the sentencing, Bridges acknowledged that he may have been a loving son and personable, but he also acknowledged that the 38-year-old Wetumka resident was incapable of stopping his life of crime.
Assistant District Attorney Carmen Rainbolt told the judge at the start of the hearing that Butler had committed 36 serious crimes prior to his latest conviction, which included an additional seven counts.
“That is 43 times,” Rainbolt said. “This man is a repeat offender and is at a high risk to repeat again. He refuses to take responsibility for his actions.”
He noted that in the latest offenses, Butler led lawmen on a chase down county roads that exceeded 100 miles per hour.
“He passed 24 mailboxes in this pursuit; 54 driveways and roadways. Each one was someone’s home, someone’s life that was put in danger,” Rainbolt said.
Bridges addressed the defendant during the course of the sentencing, calling him a habitual criminal who should spend the rest of his life in prison.
“Your previous convictions do not seem to have registered on you,” he said.
Butler stood trial on seven charges including, among others, endangering others while eluding/attempting to elude police and two counts of running a roadblock.
A jury found Butler not guilty of kidnapping and not guilty of assault and battery on a police officer – instead reducing that charge to resisting arrest.
He was found guilty of endangering others while eluding police; two counts of running a roadblock; possession of a sawed-off shotgun and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
The five life sentences are to run consecutively.
A guilty verdict on a drug possession charge resulted in a 10-year sentence in prison; a conviction on a charge of assaulting a police officer resulted in a oneyear sentence in the county jail.
Butler’s lengthy life of crime began more than 20 years ago, when he was first charged with unlawful manufacture of CDS.
Through the years he was guilty of numerous felony crimes ranging from burglary to cultivation of marijuana to domestic abuse (assault and battery) to endangering others while eluding or attempting to elude police.
His latest crime spree took place on Aug. 17, when he allegedly kidnapped his brother Aaron Butler and another man, Layton Flud.
Aaron Butler managed to escape and called police.
McIntosh County Sheriff Deputy Zach Todd soon arrived on the scene as the truck driven by Joshua Butler was leaving and pursued the vehicle, which drove into a wooded area.
Joshua Butler reportedly then turned the vehicle around and came toward Dep. Todd, who attempted to block the roadway by parking his cruiser in the middle of the road.
The fleeing vehicle went around the roadblock, struck a mailbox and continued its escape.
Investigator Kevin Branscum, with the District Attorney’s Office District 25, said at this point he joined the chase.
Deputies Dalton Thomas, Doug Tallon and Matthew Youngblood established a roadblock but were unsuccessful in stopping the truck.
“(Butler) continued driving recklessly, passing numerous other motorists, running off the roadway, running stop signs and driving at speeds in excess of 100 mph,” Branscum said.
He said eventually Butler attempted to turn onto a county road east of Hanna, lost control of his vehicle and ran into a ditch.
Officers retrieved several items that had been thrown from the truck during the chase, including 3.2 pounds of marijuana and a sawedoff shotgun.
