The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

March 29, 2008

Inmates seeking early release under new sentencing guidelines

By Joe Pinchot

SHARON, FARRELL — Two former Mercer County residents serving long prison sentences on drug charges are hoping new sentencing guidelines will get them out of prison early.

Natalie Garbutt, 41, formerly of Sharon, has filed a motion asking that an attorney be appointed so that she can pursue a sentence reduction.

Eric L. Hopson, 29, formerly of Farrell, sent a letter to his trial judge “in regards to the change in guidelines” in which he argues that he has come to realize the importance of family and making good decisions, and that he hopes to be a productive member of society once he is released.

U.S. District Court, Pittsburgh, has interpreted the letter, received Tuesday, as a request for a retroactive application of the sentencing guidelines.

The U.S. Sentencing Commission last year concluded that people convicted of crack cocaine offenses were being punished worse than those convicted of powder cocaine offenses and that the discrepancy unfairly discriminates against minorities.

The commission said new sentencing guidelines concerning crack cocaine can be retroactively applied to those previously convicted of crack offenses, which could mean reduced sentences or early release for some.

The new guidelines went into effect March 3.

Ms. Garbutt was found guilty by a jury of possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of crack. She was arrested in August 2000 after a search of her home next to Musser Elementary School, Sharon, turned up 3 ounces of crack, police said.

She was sentenced Dec. 31, 2001, to 151 months in prison. According to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons Web site, Ms. Garbutt’s projected date of release from prison is June 4, 2012. She is housed in Danbury, Conn.

Hopson pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 5 grams of crack for selling a little less than an ounce of the drug to an informant on May 20, 1999, in Farrell. He was sentenced in October 2003 to 88 months in prison.

The Bureau of Prisons said Hopson’s projected release date is July 21, 2009, although a document included with his letter said he could be released Jan. 2, 2009, possibly for staying out of trouble while in prison and satisfactorily complying with a plan of drug treatment, work assignments and classes. Federal inmates can earn up to 54 days of “good time” a year once they have served at least a year.

Hopson is being held in Elkton, Columbiana County, Ohio.

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