(7-16-22) Luis J. Perez (32) Portland has been sentenced to 17.5 years in prison with 7.5 years suspended by Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison.

Perez was originally charged January 11th with dealing in a controlled substance, a Level 1 felony, resulting in the September 6th overdose death of David R. Riley (53) of Portland. In June under the terms of a plea bargain he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of dealing in a narcotic drug, a Level 2 felony.

Perez was out of jail on a bond agreement for a past charge when the incident relating to the death occurred.

Judge Hutchison advised Perez that he is recommended for purposeful incarceration after he completes a substance abuse treatment program.

What is Purposeful Incarceration or “PI”?

The Purposeful Incarceration (PI) initiative is a partnership between the Indiana court system and the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC). PI is a sentencing recommendation that judges can use in situations where the judge is committed to modifying a sentence upon the offender’s successful completion of substance abuse treatment. The IDOC will provide a substance use disorder assessment to determine if clinical treatment is appropriate, and then make every effort to accommodate quick placement into an appropriate level of care within the Department’s substance abuse treatment program, called Recovery While Incarcerated (RWI).

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