Judge grants request for Swift and Sure 

Despite her lengthy prior record, Cass County Circuit Court Judge Michael Dodge gave a local woman one last chance to turn things around on Friday.

The judge sentenced Cheyenne Case-Huff, 30, of Dowagiac, to two years of probation on charges of domestic violence and of resisting arrest. She pleaded guilty to these two charges during an earlier appearance in court on Sept. 29.

Huff was arrested on July 20, when Michigan State Police officers responded to a domestic assault complaint on Commercial Street. When they arrived, they discovered that Huff had assaulted her mother, Dawn Case Mendoza, attacking her and pulling her hair.

“When state troopers tried to arrest you, you resisted them,” Dodge said. “You made it necessary for them to physically carry you to the squad car. You refused to submit to a preliminary breath test, however, a blood draw was completed and you tested .24 percent blood alcohol level, so you were three times the legal limit to drive.”

Case-Huff’s issues with alcohol abuse have landed her in hot water on several occasions, Dodge said. Both the judge and Assistant Prosecutor Tiffiny Vohwinkle pointed out Huff’s extensive criminal record, which consists of four felony and 12 misdemeanor convictions.

“Unfortunately, I’ve seen Huff so many times now that we can identify each other on the street,” Vohwinkle said. “That’s not a good thing in this situation.”

Huff originally was scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 31; however, the case was adjourned following a request from her attorney to have her undergo evaluation for Michigan’s Swift and Sure sanctioning program, which would keep her out of prison.

“I didn’t get this assessment for Swift and Sure until yesterday,” Dodge said. “My tentative plan was to send you to prison, based on everything I read in the presentence report.”

The judge agreed to sentence her to probation instead of incarceration, though he admitted that, based on her multiple probation violations in the past, he had some reservations about doing so.

“You’ve demonstrated in the past you can be dangerous,” Dodge said. “If that kind of conduct crops up during the course of your participation in this program, I don’t care if it’s your first violation or your third, you’re going to be pulled and you then you’re looking at a prison sentence at the high end of the guideline range.”

Also sentenced Friday:

• Nickie Jo Sachjen, 34, of Dowagiac, to two years of probation for the delivery of controlled substances.

• Robert Allen Meachum, 22, of Marcellus, to two years in prison for third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

• Harley Kenneth Rose, 33, of Dowagiac, to one year in jail for larceny of more than $1,000.