David Sutterfield of rural Mountain Home pled guilty in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday to drug-related charges as well as two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor.
As part of his sentence, Sutterfield was ordered to spend 90 days in jail on the endangering the welfare of a minor charge, which is a misdemeanor. He will be given credit for time he has already spent in the Baxter County jail.
The 40-year-old Sutterfield was arrested, along with his ex-wife Casey, on September 19th when the Mountain Home Police Department received a call from the sister of Sutterfield’s ex-wife reporting that she was concerned for her sibling’s safety. She told police that her sister and her sister’s ex-husband, David, had spent the weekend together at a local motel with their two children — ages seven and nine.
The relative said she had lost contact with her sister overnight and was concerned that David Sutterfield might have harmed her.
When police went to the motel, they got no response to their knocks and were provided with a door key by motel management. The Sutterfield couple and the two children were found asleep in the room. Officers reported observing used syringes, loaded uncapped syringes, and small plastic bags of crystalline substance which field-tested positive for methamphetamine, along with other drug paraphernalia on a table near the entry door.
Both David and Casey Sutterfield were alleged to have admitted using methamphetamine the night before, but claimed at the time that another individual left the drug paraphernalia in the room.
At one point, the Sutterfields were both free on $10,000 bond, but the company that issued the bond revoked it on November 9th and the couple were returned to the Baxter County jail.
Casey Sutterfield has entered a not guilty plea to the charges against her and is schedule to appear in Circuit Court in March.
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