Saya convicted on charges that occurred less than 24 hours after jail release.

Mason Saya

Saya convicted on charges that occurred less than 24 hours after jail release.

#MasonCountyCrime.

LUDINGTON — Mason Paul Saya, 19, of 3816 N. Tuttle Rd., Sherman Township, was found guilty on May 8, 2018 in 79th District Court for the misdemeanor of contributing to the delinquency of minor and controlled substance distribution. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail with credit for 90 days served for count one and 180 days in jail with credit for 110 days served for count two, plus one year discretionary jail for two years.

The sentencing was Saya’s second conviction this month. On May 1, he was sentenced in 51st Circuit Court  to serve 180 days in jail, along with one year of discretionary jail time, for maintaining a drug house.

The circuit court conviction stemmed from the Oct. 6, 2017 US 31 traffic crash that resulted in the death of 16-year-old Henry MacDougall of Ludington.

The district court conviction was the result of Saya being arrested on Jan. 19, 2018, less than 24 hours after being bonded out from the Mason County Jail, following his arrest on the drug house charges.

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According to Ludington Police 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.

Saya 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.

Saya had initially been charged with the felony crime of delivery/manufacture of marijuana less than 5 kilograms or fewer than 20 plants, which is punishable by up to four years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine. He was also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine. In a plea agreement with the Mason County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the felony charge was dropped.

The district court case runs concurrently to his felony case. As part of his sentencing, he is not allowed to use alcohol or illicit drugs; he is subject to random preliminary breath tests (PBTs) and drug tests; he is to have no social contact with anyone under the age of 18; and he must comply with Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) orders. In addition, his driver’s license was suspended for 180 days and restricted after 30 days. He must also pay $1,175 in fines and costs.

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