Michigan Criminal Lawyers Blog
On Tuesday July 30, 25-year-old Cierra Shanae Collins pleaded guilty to a delivery of marijuana charge in connection to an attempt to smuggle drugs to inmates incarcerated in the Central Michigan Correctional Facility. Collins, a resident of Grand Rapids, reportedly tried to smuggle oxycodone, marijuana, and other items to inmates.
A news article at Mlive.com states that late last year, two inmates asked a corrections officer if he would assist them in bringing heroin into the facility in exchange for cash. Instead, the corrections officer reported the inmates request to the police, according to Gratiot County Prosecutor Keith Kushion.
The inmates apparently believed the corrections officer would work with them, and contacted Antawanicka Sherrills, another Grand Rapids resident, to arrange for Collins to make the drug delivery. Collins was to meet with the corrections officer, who would then deliver the drugs to Central Michigan Correctional Facility.
Instead, Collins met with who she believed to be a corrections officer in a Walmart parking lot in late December. The individual she passed the items to was actually a Michigan State Police detective. Collins gave him a cell phone, cash, and packages containing drugs. She was sentenced to up to 90 days in jail, and approximately three years probation. Kushion stated that Collins was currently on probation in connection with a charge on delivering drugs in another state.
Michigan drug defense attorneys know the importance of having a capable and aggressive lawyer on your side when charged with a drug offense. The use, possession, or delivery of marijuana, narcotics, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and other drugs is taken very seriously in the state. Penalties are extremely harsh for those convicted, often including steep fines and substantial jail/prison time.
If you have been arrested for a misdemeanor or felony drug offense or are under investigation, consult with a skilled Michigan drug crime lawyer immediately. Your legal rights and freedom must be protected; your attorney will begin work right away to protect you from harsh criminal penalties.