Dowagiac man sentenced to prison for drug possession – Leader Publications

CASSOPOLIS – A Dowagiac man is headed back to prison after being convicted Friday in Cass County District Court of habitual possession of meth.

Michael Duane Zech, 33, of Courtland Street in Dowagiac, pleaded guilty to habitual offender possession of methamphetamine and was sentenced to 19 months to 15 years in prison and $1,548 in fines and court costs.

He will not receive credit for time already served because he was on probation at the time of the incident and the new sentence follows any sentence for violating probation. He was set to be released on November 7, 2023, after serving a prison sentence for operating a meth lab and conspiracy to traffic meth.

The current incident occurred on May 29 in Dowagiac, when he was arrested along with another felon and police found meth on Zech and a gun on the other person.

“The bottom line for the defendant is that whether he's on the streets, in a rehabilitation center or in prison, he needs to understand that he's an addict,” said Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz. “He's already spent six years in prison, he needs to get his addiction under control.”

Zech apologized for wasting the court’s time.

“The court doesn't think it's a waste of time, but you're wasting a big part of your life,” said Cass County District Court Judge Mark Herman. “You have to look in the mirror every morning and apologize to yourself. Only then will you make the changes that will keep you out of prison.”

“This is your eighth felony conviction,” the judge added. “You are only 33 years old and have spent much of your adult life behind bars, most of that time for drug use. You have been using meth daily since you were 23. It is hard to believe that you cannot weigh the cost of meth use against the cost of going to prison.”

Is it worth all those years in prison to get high?” he asked. “Is it worth seven years of your life to party on the weekend? Nobody can wave a magic wand and change you until you decide to… I've seen far too many lives wasted and too many people go back to prison over and over again.”

Two other residents received suspended sentences for meth charges, and a third person was given the opportunity to have a conviction for meth threatening expunged from his criminal record.