Greenfield man sentenced on meth possession, tampering with evidence charges
A Greenfield man was sentenced to over two years in prison last week after pleading guilty to charges in two separate Highland County Common Pleas Court cases.
Daniel D. Hatfield, 51, was indicted in April on three counts of aggravated possession of methamphetamine, all fifth-degree felonies. The separate charges stemmed from three separate dates in 2022 where it was alleged Hatfield “did knowingly obtain, possess or use” meth.
On May 31, Hatfield was also charged, through a bill of information, with one count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony.
According to court records, Hatfield pleaded guilty to all four charges May 31.
For the meth possession case, a bill of particulars alleged that on or about Aug. 6, 2022, Greenfield Police officers to a report of “a suspicious person trespassing on [a] property and behaving strangely.” They found Hatfield, who was “highly animated and .. making constant jerking motions,” and when they searched his bag, they found what Hatfield said was “a little bit of meth.”
On Aug. 22, Greenfield Police were patrolling an area park at 11:22 p.m. when they found Hatfield trespassing in the area. Officers again found meth in Hatfield’s possession.
Finally, on Oct. 6, Hatfield was allegedly observed going up to several Greenfield-area businesses and “yelling” before being stopped by police officers. At the time of his arrest, meth was found in Hatfield’s pocket, the bill of particulars alleged.
According to court records, the bill of information alleged that on or about Oct. 10, "knowing that an official proceeding or investigation was in progress or was about to be or likely to be instituted," Hatfield "did alter, destroy, conceal or remove a record, document or thing with the purpose to impair its value or availability as evidence in such proceeding or investigation.”
During a sentencing hearing July 5, Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss imposed an 18-month sentence in the meth possession case, consecutive to nine months for the tampering with evidence case. Hatfield had no jail time credit.
Hatfield was admitted into the Correctional Reception Center in Orient on July 7, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.