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Multiple arrests send Alpena County man to prison

ROGERS CITY — An Alpena County man is headed to prison after being caught driving drunk three times in less than six months.

Chasyn Wilkinson apologized to Presque Isle County’s 53rd Circuit Court in Rogers City on Monday, saying he wants to quit drinking, get help, and be there for his kids.

Wilkinson’s remorse couldn’t make up for his two drunk-driving arrests in a six-week span in Alpena County in spring, followed by an arrest for driving more than 100 miles per hour while intoxicated in Presque Isle County four months later, said Presque Isle County Prosecutor Ken Radzibon.

Judge Aaron Gauthier agreed, saying the 34-year-old Wilkinson — who has previous drunk driving convictions in Utah — is unsafe to be let loose in public.

“You seem like a nice guy without alcohol,” Gauthier told Wilkinson. “Regardless of whether you’re a nice guy, the fact of the matter is, right now you’re a dangerous guy. And you’re going to hurt someone.”

Wilkinson was sentenced to 23 months to five years in prison, with 124 days’ credit.

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A trial for Thomas Pettit, a Rogers City man accused of multiple first- and second-degree sexual assaults involving a 6- to 12-year-old girl, will be the first up as Presque Isle County returns to jury trials in April, Gauthier said on Monday.

The county conducted a socially-distanced jury trial in August at the Bismarck Township Hall. That venue will be used again for upcoming trials, including that for Pettit, which is scheduled to begin with jury selection on April 13.

Pettit’s charges could lead to a sentence of up to life in prison. His trial is expected to take four days and require a panel of 100 potential jurors.

“It feels pretty good to have one set,” Gauthier said after attorneys agreed to the trial’s date. “Although, we know from experience that just setting them doesn’t make them happen these days.”

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Defendant Melissa Munoz, 53, was sentenced on Monday to six months in jail, with 64 days’ credit, and 18 months’ probation after she pleaded guilty to attempted delivery of cocaine.

She’s gotten away from the people who got her into trouble and wants to clean up her act, starting with the drug awareness course she just completed, Munoz told Gauthier.

The judge told Munoz that, despite her good intentions, he was troubled because the co-defendant in her crime — who was sentenced to prison — introduced Munoz to his drug source. That introduction made it probable that, had she not been stopped, her involvement in drugs would have gotten more serious, Gauthier said.

“You should be glad you got caught when you did,” Gauthier said. “You were about to go even deeper down the rabbit hole. And that would not have ended well.”

In addition to jail and probation, Munoz’s driver’s license will be suspended for 6 months.

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An attorney appearing virtually for Monday’s court day — which was held both in-person and using videoconferencing technology — apologized for forgetting to wear his tie.

That was better than some things he’s seen in virtual hearings, Gauthier said, telling the court about attorneys zooming in while driving and defendants appearing while smoking or, in one case, sitting on a roof with his shirt off.

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