James B. Woolsey, 38, Greenfield
HANCOCK COUNTY — The Greenfield man who officials say sold drugs to another county resident who ended up dead following an overdose in February of 2023 had his case settled via plea agreement this week in Hancock County Superior Court 1.
James B. Woolsey, 38, 40 block of Longfellow Lane, had been charged with a Level 1 felony count of dealing in a controlled substance resulting in death and a Level 5 felony count of dealing a scheduled I controlled substance.
Following the acceptance of the plea deal Wednesday by Judge D.J. Davis, Woolsey will serve no time in prison. Woolsey instead admitted guilt to the Level 5 felony while the Level 1 felony was dismissed. He was given a six-year term by Davis with two years to be served on home detention and four years suspended to probation.
Prosecutor Brent Eaton had asked for at least some jail time (180 days), but it was not granted after the pre-sentence investigation recommended no jail time. Eaton explained his office had to drop the Level 1 one charge and enter the plea agreement out of necessity.
“Unfortunately, there really isn’t a charge in between the two we had posted and ultimately through the course of litigation we came to the conclusion we could not successfully prosecute the Level 1 as charged,” Eaton said. “Also, the victim’s family was not wanting a long jail term for the defendant and had asked for only a few months to be served.”
Davis noted in reviewing the pre-sentence investigation that the family of the man who died from an overdose wanted a light sentence of a few months instead of years. Plus, the judge found no aggravating factors, with several mitigating factors including the victim of the crime induced or facilitated the offense.
“The fact was the victim asked Mr. Woolsey to get the victim the controlled substance, to which Mr. Woolsey admitted he did,” Davis said. “Also Mr. Woolsey has four children for which imprisonment would result in a undue hardship to his children.”
Davis also noted Lastly Woolsey had gone 16 months since the events happened and no new charges.
According to officials from the Greenfield Police Department and a probable cause affidavit, illegal drugs caused the death of Joseph Shephard, 41, Greenfield, during an incident in February 2023. Detectives from the GPD served a warrant on and arrested Woolsey on suspicion of dealing drugs that resulted in the death of Shephard in April 2023.
Officials from the GPD and the Greenfield Fire Territory EMS were dispatched to a home in the 1500 block of Sherwood Drive for a cardiac arrest Feb. 24, 2023. When they arrived, they found an unresponsive male, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When officers arrived on scene, a man later identified as Shephard could not be revived despite multiple attempts to save his life, officials said in the report. Officers administered Narcan and performed CPR but, despite all lifesaving measures, Shephard was pronounced dead at the scene.
A witness at the residence, a woman identified as Shephard’s fiancee, told officials Shephard had taken ecstasy after placing it into a cup of yogurt. Officials noted the woman said Shephard received the drugs from someone he worked with, who detectives from the GPD later identified as Woolsey.
According to the affidavit, the woman told officials she and Shephard got into a heated argument as she tried to warn Shephard not to take the drug because it could be laced with fentanyl. The woman stated she wanted nothing to do with Shephard taking the drugs and told him so, the report stated. Evidence located at the scene led GPD detectives to Woolsey, who officials say had been communicating with Shephard via cell phone just prior to his death.
Woolsey was located and interviewed April 20, 2023. During an interview, Woolsey admitted he worked with Shephard for a couple of months as an electrician and was the one who supplied him with the drug.
“I got it for him — one-time thing,” Woolsey said in the report. “Joe asked for it.”
Woolsey went on to tell officials he bought the drug from a “friend of a friend,” in Marion County.
