Sherman Twp. man arrested 24 hours after being released from jail.

Mason Saya

Sherman Twp. man arrested 24 hours after being released from jail.

#MasonCountyCrime.

LUDINGTON — Less than 24 hours after being released from the Mason County Jail, a Sherman Township man was back there again last week. Mason Paul Saya, 19, of 3816 N. Tuttle Road, Sherman Township, was arrested by Ludington Police Department on Jan. 19 on three counts, including the felony charge of delivery/manufacture of marijuana and misdemeanor charges of marijuana use and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

According to LPD Chief Mark Barnett, Saya, along with three other males (including two minors) were at Stearns Park Beach about 4:15 p.m. on Jan. 19, when the police department received a complaint of the smell of marijuana coming from a Chevrolet Impala parked at the beach. Upon arrival, the investigating officer noticed the smell of burnt marijuana, Barnett said, adding that Saya was in the passenger seat and had admitted that the marijuana belonged to him.

The officer then discovered that Saya had been out on bond from a previous two-count drug related arrest.

He had been arrested on Jan. 17 by Mason County Sheriff’s Office and had bonded out and released from the jail on Jan. 18 at 5:39 p.m. He was booked again at 5:36 p.m. on Jan. 19, according to Sheriff Kim Cole.

The other subjects in the vehicle at Stearns Park included a 20-year-old Scottville male, a 17-year-old Amber Township man, and a 16-year-old Riverton Township boy. The cases had been turned over to the prosecutor but the subjects have not yet been arraigned.

According to the warrant provided by 79th District Court, Saya has been charged with delivery/manufacture of marijuana less than 5 kilograms or fewer than 20 plants. The felony is punishable by up to four years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine.

The charge of marijuana use is punishable by imprisonment of up to two years and/or a fine of $2,000.

Contributing to the delinquency of a minor is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.

Saya’s first arrest was the result of an investigation by law enforcement following the Oct. 16, 2017 traffic crash death of 16-year-old Henry MacDougall of Ludington.

On Jan. 17, Saya was arrested on a two count warrant, which included charges of controlled substance — maintaining a drug house, a high court misdemeanor punishable by up to two years imprisonment and/or a $25,000 fine, and controlled substance — possession of marijuana/synthetic equivalents, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year imprisonment and/or a $5,000 fine.

Henry MacDougall died after his vehicle crashed into a semi-truck and trailer at the intersection of US 31 and Sugar Grove Road in Sherman Township. MacDougall was west-bound on Sugar Grove Road and failed to stop for the intersection. According to Sheriff Cole, MacDougall had traces of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in his body.

Cole said while the charges against Saya and his son are not directly related to MacDougall’s death, the circumstances behind the death led to investigators seeking the drug warrants. He said detectives had obtained a Snapchat video taken of MacDougall within two hours of the crash showing him “dabbing,” which is using a type of inhaler to ingest a drug. In this case, Cole said, MacDougall was dabbing a highly concentrated form of marijuana wax.

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