Sentencing delayed as man seeks to withdraw guilty pleas

The sentencing of a man charged in multiple drug-related cases and a robbery and abduction case was delayed after he sought to withdraw his previous guilty pleas.

Bryant Boyd, 40, of Port Clinton, was indicted by an Ottawa County grand jury on numerous felonies in at least three separate cases over the past year.

Most recently, Boyd was charged with two counts of trafficking in drugs, one count of possession of drugs and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to reports from the Ottawa County Drug Task Force, Boyd is accused of selling cocaine and fentanyl, a synthetic opioid more potent than heroin, out of a Port Clinton home in January.

The alleged incident occurred while Boyd was out on bond awaiting sentencing in his two other criminal cases.

Boyd pleaded guilty in both cases in December, which included trafficking and possessing drugs stemming from a September 2015 incident and abduction stemming from a July 2016 incident in which a woman accused him of robbing, beating and holding her against her will, according to court records and police reports.

Although, earlier this month Boyd and his defense attorney, Loretta Riddle, filed a motion to withdraw both of the guilty pleas.

The woman involved in the abduction case later recanted her allegations against Boyd in a sworn affidavit. As a result, the state moved to dismiss those charges.

Riddle said Boyd “entered his plea when he has a defense” and the agreement was made as part of a joint resolution to the two cases and should be withdrawn.

Assistant Ottawa County Prosecutor Daivia Kasper noted, however, that the two cases involve different witnesses and contradictory statements of a witness in the abduction case does not impeach witnesses in the prior drug trafficking case.

Kasper argued that there is thus “no reasonable and legitimate basis” for Boyd to withdraw his plea.

Published by the portclintonnewsherald.com

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