Washington County attorney gets guilty plea in two cases

A Brighton man was sentenced to up to 27 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to a host of charges.

Steven Haberberger, 41, pleaded guilty to two charges of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver, both Class B felonies; one count of possession of a controlled substance, third or subsequent Offense, a Class D felony; assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, an aggravated misdemeanor; and assault on a peace officer, a serious misdemeanor.

According to Washington County Attorney John Gish, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation and executed narcotics-related search warrants at Harberberger’s residence on Dec. 19, 2019 and May 21, 2020.

Harberberger was arrested and charged on May 21, 2020, and posted bond on Nov. 20, 2020.

On Jan. 6, he was arrested for assault.

In the course of arresting Haberberger for the assault, he assaulted a Washington County deputy.

Sex offender violation

Friday, Michael Bryant, 27, of Washington, pleaded guilty to violating the sex offender registry, and is expected to be sentenced to prison for up to five years.

Bryant was previously convicted of violating the sex offender registry on Jan. 29, 2020, and April 15, 2020.

In June 2020, Bryant failed to contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, which is a requirement of his registration.

This led to another charge of a registry violation on July 9, 2020.

In September 2020, Bryant was court-ordered to stay at a residential correctional facility with an ankle monitor, but in October 2020, Bryant removed his ankle monitor and left the facility without permission.

An arrest warrant was issued, and Bryant was arrested in February 2021. Sentencing is pending.