GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A man arrested following an Ottawa County traffic stop in which methamphetamine and a handgun were found has been sentenced to 7½ years in prison for an offense he calls a “life changing mistake.’’
“I shouldn’t of never chose to sell narcotics for fast money to benefit my family’s living situation,’’ Donte Darnell Blue wrote a federal judge ahead of sentencing this week. “I made a life-changing mistake.’’
Blue pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, a 20-year felony, and using a gun during a drug crime, which is punishable by a mandatory minimum of five years, and up to life, in prison.
He was arrested in mid-July following a traffic stop in which Blue ran from officers. Methamphetamine and a loaded handgun were recovered.
Ottawa County Sheriff’s Capt. Mark Bennett said his office has seen a surge in meth-related arrests.
“In the last couple of years, the possession cases of crystal meth have risen dramatically in Ottawa County,’’ Bennett said. “We went from not seeing much at all to a drastic increase.’’
The attorney for 33-year-old Donte Blue asked for leniency, saying Blue “sold drugs for the first time out of desperation.’’
“To provide some financial security for his family, Mr. Blue turned to drug sales to support them,’’ defense attorney James S. Fisher wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
Blue, who grew up in South Haven, is married with four children. He has no history of drug-trafficking related offenses, Fisher wrote.
“Mr. Blue’s mandatory five-year sentence under count two is more than sufficient to specifically deter him from further criminal conduct once he is released,’’ Fisher wrote.
Once Blue completes his 7½ year prison term, he will be on supervised release for four years.
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