BATON ROUGE, La. (
Louisiana First) — A Zachary man pleaded guilty to reduced charges in an overdose death case.
Dalton Saucier, 26, was arrested following the death of a 19-year-old who died from a heroin overdose.
On Wednesday, Saucier appeared in court and changed his plea from not guilty to guilty on two counts. Court records said prosecutors had initially charged him with second-degree murder, but that charge was reduced to manslaughter. He also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute a Schedule I drug, which had originally been filed as a Schedule II charge.
Saucier was sentenced to five years at hard labor for manslaughter and 20 years at hard labor for the drug charge. The sentences will run concurrently, meaning they will be served at the same time. He will also receive credit for time already served.
Court records said Saucier has 30 days to appeal the conviction and sentence, and two years to seek post-conviction relief.
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