Donald Joseph Boatman has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a total of 28 years by Judge Matthew Bailey in the Decatur Superior Court in a combination of sentences across four cause numbers. Those 28 years will be served as 16 years in prison and 12 years of probation.
Boatman pleaded guilty to Dealing Methamphetamine as a Level 4 Felony and to being an Habitual Offender in one 2020 cause number. In a second cause number, he pleaded guilty to Possession of Methamphetamine as a level 6 Felony and to being an Habitual Offender. In a third, he pleaded guilty to Operating a Motor Vehicle when his Driving Privileges had been Revoked for Life, a Level 5 Felony and to being an Habitual Offender plus Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of a Syringe, and Obstruction of Justice, all as Level 6 Felonies. In his 2021 cause number, he pleaded guilty to Possession of a Legend Drug as a Level 6 Felony and to being an Habitual Offender.
Boatman had previous convictions in 2019, 2018, 2016, 2013 (felony), 2012 (felony), 2011, 2009 (felony), 2008 (felony), 2007, 2005, 2001 (felony), 1999, 1998, 1995, and 1992 (felony). Those offenses occurred in Decatur, Hancock, Franklin, and Rush Counties.
Prosecuting Attorney Nate Harter said about the case, “I want to applaud deputy prosecutor Brian Clark for managing these cases to the very end, and for obtaining a just result. As Mr. Boatman completes his third decade committing crimes in this community, here’s hoping that a period of time in the Department of Correction will lead him to change his ways.”
From the Decatur County Prosecutor’s Office.