(COLDWATER) - Sentence has been handed down to a Union City man on drug and criminal sexual conduct charges.
Branch County Prosecutor Zachary Stempien says on Monday, 48 year old Anthony Cuyler was sentenced to 45 to 90 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections on the three first degree criminal sexual conduct charges; and 18 to 40 years on the delivery of methamphetamine to a minor charge.
If Cuyler is ever granted parole, Stempien says he will be subject to lifetime electronic monitoring and must register as a sex offender.
The CSC charges happened on July 23 and July 24 in 2019 against two children under the age of 13.
The Branch County Prosecutor's Office issued charges against Cuyler in 2019. He fled Michigan and avoided authorities for several years until information was received that he may be in Mexico. When local authorities couldn't locate him the Prosecutor's Office requested assistance from various federal agencies.
The United States Marshals Service screened the case under Operation Survivor Justice and launched a fugitive investigation. They determined that Cuyler was in Mexico, and he was subsequently expelled from the country and arrested by U.S. Marshals in March 2024 and brought back to Michigan.
Stempien says he is thankful for the outcome of this case and that justice has finally been served for the victims involved. He also appreciates the assistance of the Michigan Attorney General's Office who prosecuted the case.