Nashua police photo Dennis Higgins, 52, last known address, 1 Ayer Rd., Apt. 1, Nashua

NASHUA – A somewhat less animated and more controlled Dennis Higgins Sr. was sentenced to suspended and deferred prison time, some four months after his courtroom outburst prompted a Superior Court judge to cancel that hearing.

Higgins, 53, a former Nashua resident most recently of 9 Melendy Road in Hudson, entered guilty pleas to two counts of possession of a controlled drug, and one Alford plea of true to one count of burglary, as part of an agreement his attorneys and prosecutors had reached ahead of the November hearing that was cut short.

By pleading true under a so-called Alford plea, Higgins acknowledged evidence exists, but he is not admitting guilt to the charge.

Judge Charles Temple, who canceled the hearing in November, handed down on Friday an agreed-to sentence of two to four years in State Prison, all suspended for two years, on the drug-possession charge that stems from Higgins’s arrest in March 2017.

Temple also sentenced Higgins to two to four years in State Prison, all deferred for two years, on the other possession charge, on which Higgins was arrested in December 2016.

As for the burglary charge, on which Higgins was arrested in April 2016, he was sentenced to two to four years in State Prison, all deferred for two years.

All terms are to be served concurrently, meaning at the same time.

Conditions of the agreement prohibit Higgins from having any contact with the victim in the burglary case, and that he continues his participation in mental health court.

If any prison time is imposed, Higgins will be credited with the 70 days he spent in jail.

First Assistant County Attorney Kent Smith said at the hearing the burglary charge accuses Higgins of kicking in a door to a downtown apartment, striking a female – who had a no-contact order against Higgins – and pushing her down the stairs.

Higgins later denied assaulting anyone, Smith said.

He was charged with possessing drugs and operating with a suspended license after a motor vehicle stop in Nashua in December 2016, and the March 2017 arrest occurred when police went to a keep-the-peace call on Concord Street and found Higgins on the property against a court order, and in possession of a controlled drug, Smith said.

Prosecutors also agreed to drop a number of Higgins’s charges as part of the plea deal.

They include possession of a controlled drug in September; and one count each of possession of a controlled drug-subsequent offense; operating after suspension; resisting arrest or detention; and misuse or failure to display license plates, all from his arrest in August 2016.