Information gathered from The Enquirer’s Sheila McLaughlin:
The case of a West Chester Township police officer accused of tipping off a drug dealer about an undercover bust is going to trial Jan. 30.
The Butler County Prosecutor’s Office alerted The Enquirer’s Sheila McLaughlin that David Busemeyer had missed a plea agreement deadline late Thursday night. Neither Busemeyer’s lawyer Richard Skelton nor County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser would provide details of the proposal.
Busemeyer, 37, of Hamilton Township in Warren County, was indicted in October on charges of attempted tampering with evidence, obstructing official business and obstructing justice.
Court records indicate that the drug dealer involved was the brother of Busemeyer’s former mistress. Besides tipping off the drug dealer, Busemeyer is accused to revealing the identity of a confidential informant in the case.
Busemeyer remains free on his promise to return to future court hearings but was suspended from his township job without pay pending the outcome of the criminal case.
This week, Busemeyer, who has claimed to be addicted to steroids and painkillers, appeared before Judge Keith Spaeth in common pleas court and requested to receive drug treatment instead of having a felony conviction on his record.
It was the second attempt by Busemeyer to avoid a potential 3½-year prison sentence. His proposal, however, was denied.
If the judge had agreed, Busemeyer had a chance to complete court-ordered substance abuse treatment and comply with other conditions in exchange for having his record wiped clean.
Judge Spaeth didn’t give a reason for his decision.
