Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
WHILE HIS attorney, Rudy Perhala, appears in Gogebic County Circuit Court in Bessemer Monday; Michael Johnson pleads guilty to a pair of drug charges via video from the Iron County Jail in Hurley.
By RICHARD JENKINS
Bessemer — Testifying via video feed from the Iron County Jail, Michael Scott Johnson, 21, Ramsay, pled guilty to possession of methamphetamine and possession with intent to deliver heroin in Gogebic County Circuit Court in Bessemer Monday.
The plea was part of a deal that will result in six additional charges and a habitual offender-third offense designation dismissed by the Gogebic County Prosecutor’s Office.
Both felony charges Johnson pled guilty to carry a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and/or $25,000 in fines.
As part of the plea deal, the other two charges — two counts of resisting and obstructing — and habitual offender-third offense designation in connection with Johnson’s Feb. 10 arrest will be dismissed.
According to the plea agreement, four counts — three counts of possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine and a possession with intent to deliver acetaminophen and drydrocodone — from a second case will also be dismissed.
During Monday’s court appearance, Johnson testified regarding the circumstances of his arrest to establish the factual basis for his plea.
According to court records, Johnson was arrested in the parking lot of the Family Video in Ironwood after the Gogebic County Sheriff’s Department and Ironwood Public Safety Department received information from a criminal informant that Johnson was on a “run” to Superior, Wis., to obtain drugs. Local law enforcement agencies had also conducted several “controlled buys” from Johnson through a criminal informant, according to court records, prior to the Superior trip.
Upon returning to Ironwood, Johnson was arrested and found to be in possession of approximately 5 grams of meth and less than 1 gram of heroin. He testified he also had a number of other items, such as a scale and a bunch of baggies, that are associated with selling drugs.
As part of the plea deal, Johnson agrees to testify in upcoming cases.
No sentencing was scheduled at Monday’s hearing, as Johnson told Circuit Court Judge Michael Pope he was scheduled to be sentenced in Iron County today in another case and would probably be sentenced to roughly two to four years in prison. Once Johnson is sentenced in Wisconsin, Pope said he would schedule a sentencing hearing.
