CASSOPOLIS — An Elkhart, Ind., man is heading to prison for cooking methamphetamine at a residence in Niles.

In Cass County Circuit Court Friday, Shaun Curtis, 28, was sentenced to prison for 51 months to 30 years with credit for 173 days already served.

In November, Michigan State Police officers discovered evidence of meth production in a trailer in Milton Township.

The trailer, owned by Curtis’ father, had been vacant when Curtis began producing meth for his personal use there.

All the components to cook meth were found at  the residence.

Defense attorney Lesley Kranenberg requested Judge Michael Dodge deviate from the guidelines and not send Curtis to prison given the results of his psychological evaluation.

She also argued that Curtis hadn’t been dealing the drug.

“It was a small, residual amount for personal use,” she said, arguing that a prison sentence would “over-penalize” the offense.

For his part, Curtis expressed his desire to turn his life around.

“A sentence of 51 months would add to some of my problems rather than resolve them,” Curtis said.
Dodge defended his sentence.

“I’ve sentenced a lot of meth offenders in the past 10 years,” he said. “This guideline range doesn’t shock me. It is a proportionate and just sentence.”