Adams County Prosecuting Attorney David Kelley announced last week that Jonas Bontrager was going to prison for a minimum of 22 years. Bontrager, formerly of West Union, provided a fatal dose of fentanyl that killed Shyonda Burton, age 30, in May of 2020. The Informer has previously reported on the arrest of Bontrager.
Burton died in a camper located on Wheat Ridge Road outside of West Union. Bontrager, age 56, also lived in the camper and was convicted of all charges including: two felony counts related to trafficking and possession of drugs, two felony charges of corrupting another with drugs, and two felony charges of involuntary manslaughter. Kelley charged Bontrager for the death of the unborn baby as well as the death of the mother.
According to the release, the Common Pleas Court found that Bontrager showed no genuine remorse in his crime and noting the serious problem of a steady flow of drugs into Adams County, the Judge sentenced Bontrager to serve at least 22 years in prison and requiring him to reimburse the victim’s aunt for the cost of the funeral.
“This criminal drove to Cincinnati, picked up these deadly drugs and brought them back to our county,” said Prosecutor David Kelley. “Then he gave those drugs to a vulnerable pregnant woman, which resulted in the death of her and a baby, who was just eight weeks away from being born.”
Prosecutor Kelley commended assistant prosecutor Mark Weaver, who prosecuted the case and made the arguments in court.
