×

Defendants sentenced in unrelated cases

ESCANABA — Three Michigan men recently received prison sentences on unrelated charges, according to the Delta County Prosecutor’s Office.

Joshua James Tellefsen, 37, of Escanaba, was sentenced to two to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of meth. He was sentenced as a second or subsequent controlled substance offender, which subjected him to a double penalty.

On Sept. 4, 2019, an Escanaba Public Safety officer observed Tellefsen operating a vehicle, determined he did not have a valid driver’s license, and conducted a traffic stop. The officer asked Tellefsen to step out of the vehicle. When he did, the officer saw him drop a small packet into a storage area on the vehicle’s door.

A search of the vehicle led to the packet – which contained a white substance – being located, along with a large amount of U.S. currency. A lab test confirmed the substance in the packet was meth.

Daniel James Wiltzius, 41, of Escanaba was sentenced to 40 months to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of possession of child sexually abusive materials (punishable by up to four years of prison) and three counts of using computer to commit a crime (punishable by up to seven years in prison).

In February 2019, Michigan State Troopers conducted a search of a cellphone in an unrelated drug investigation. An agent located child sexually abusive material that had been downloaded several months earlier; the phone was found to have belonged to Wiltzius at the time the material was obtained. A search warrant at Wiltzius’ residence resulted in another cellphone, which also contained child sexually abusive material, being found.

Sirecce Lavance Bonner, 46, of Detroit was sentenced to 23 months to four years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of narcotics (cocaine) and two counts of resisting and obstructing a police officer.

On July 11, 2019, Michigan State Police Troopers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle speeding in northern Delta County. The troopers noted the vehicle took an unusually long time to pull over.

A trooper approached the passenger side of the vehicle and made contact with Bonner. The trooper observed a large amount of white powder on the vehicle’s seat and floorboards, as well as Bonner himself. While Bonner was asked to keep his hands still and in view, he tried to reach underneath himself multiple times.

Another trooper and a Delta County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived to assist, and Bonner was eventually forcibly removed from the vehicle. Upon further investigation, troopers determined Bonner was trying to dissolve the white powder in a bottle of lemonade. Later, a lab test confirmed the white powder was cocaine.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today