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By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor
LUDINGTON — A 46-year-old Grant Township man was sentenced to a minimum of 10 ½ years in prison for a conviction for delivery of fentanyl causing death in 51st Circuit Court Tuesday, July 21, for the March 25, 2023 death of Matthew Day, 41, of Manistee.
Chick
Michael Thomas Chick II was sentenced by Judge Susan K. Sniegowski to three concurrent terms of 126 months (10 ½ years) to 50 years; 95 months (almost eight years) to 20 years; and 944 days for convictions of drug delivery causing death, drug delivery/manufacture and maintaining a drug house, court records state. Chick pleaded no contest to the charges June 9.
“This case is another tragic ending to the use of fentanyl,” said Mason County Prosecuting Attorney Beth Hand. “The defendant had over 50 grams of fentanyl in his possession along with several weapons. The decedent responded to the defendant’s request to help him out in the form of a ride. Upon returning to the defendant’s residence, the defendant provided the decedent with a quantity of fentanyl that he ingested. The lethal drug led to his death.
“During the investigation, the defendant told law enforcement that he and the decedent had done shots of wine. There was not evidence suggesting that,” said Prosecutor Hand.
“Three family members made heartfelt statements during the sentencing about how the death of their loved one has impacted their lives and others who knew him. The decedent had two young children.
“As I have said repeatedly, drug dealing in Mason County will not be tolerated,” said the prosecutor. “The sentence in this case should send a message to people involved in sharing or selling drugs that they can and will be held responsible for the consequences of their dealings and that the liability they face goes beyond the actual distribution and extends to the effect of the distribution on the consumer should they have a fatal reaction to the consumption.”
“During the early morning hours of March 25, 2023, Mason County deputies were called to a residence in the 9600 block of North US 31 in Grant Township regarding a male subject not breathing,” stated Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole previously. “This subject, Matthew Day, 41 years of age from Manistee, Michigan, would not survive the night and passed away. At the scene that night, deputies recovered 56.8 grams of (what would later be proven to be) pure fentanyl and other evidence related to drug dealing and firearms.
“Investigators have determined the amount of fentanyl seized that night was enough to kill several thousand people, and the amount recovered was pure and had not been mixed with any other substances,” said Sheriff Cole.
“Since that time, Mason County Sheriff’s Office deputies and detectives, along with SSCENT (State, Sheriffs’, Chiefs’ Enforcement of Narcotics Team) detectives have been investigating this death. This investigation involved the execution of search warrants, crime lab analysis and autopsy reports.”
Three counts of felony firearm were dismissed in the case. Chick was discharged from probation in two separate drug possession cases as “unsuccessful,” court records state.
He received credit for 944 days served in jail.
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