Niles man gets prison time for meth possession

Published 3:16 pm Monday, May 8, 2023

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NILES — A Niles resident with a long criminal history was sentenced to prison Monday in Berrien County Trial Court. 

Kaleb Charles Reid, 36, of Niles, pleaded guilty to possession of Methamphetamines and was sentenced to 14 months to 10 years in prison. He must pay $198 in fines and costs. He has no The current incident occurred Feb. 18 in Niles Township. 

Reid is currently on parole from an April 27, 2020 conviction for tampering with an electronic device in Berrien County. His parole release date from that sentence is April 17, 2024.  

Other past convictions include a Feb. 29, 2016 prison sentence for possession of meth, an Aug. 4, 2014 prison sentence for resisting and obstructing police and a Sept. 4, 2012 prison sentence for fleeing police. 

While Assistant Prosecutor Kate Arnold asked for a prison sentence given the fact Reid was on parole when this happened, defense attorney Shayne Williams asked for a local jail sentence. “He was very cooperative with police and he was working before his arrest,” she said. “He’s been in jail for 79 days and getting no credit for that.” 

Berrien County Trial Judge Jennifer Smith noted that Reid has 10 felony convictions and 16 misdemeanor convictions. “You’ve had multiple opportunities on probation and had your probation revoked,” she told Reid. “You’ve been to prison before and here we are again.” 

“Probation hasn’t worked,” she added. “To give you a short jail sentence and hope for the best, I don’t think that will change anything. The way I see it, sending you to prison is for your own safety and for the safety of the community. We need you out of the community.”