Roseville man sentenced to prison for trafficking meth to Upper Peninsula

MICHIGAN (WLUC) - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten announced Wednesday that a 31-year-old man from Roseville was sentenced to federal prison for leading a conspiracy that trafficked over 500 grams of methamphetamine from Detroit to Houghton and Mackinac Counties in December 2022 and January 2023.

According to a press release, Charles Lester Knuckles, Jr. was sentenced to 132 months.

"Mr. Knuckles was running a drug pipeline trafficking methamphetamine from the Detroit area to northern Michigan," said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. "We will continue to collaborate with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners in the U.P. and across the District to hold traffickers accountable and keep illegal drugs off of our streets."

The Upper Peninsula Substances Enforcement Team (UPSET) and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) introduced a confidential informant to Samantha Short, 30, of Hancock. Short was a methamphetamine user and dealer and knew Knuckles from a prior relationship. On December 14, 2022, the confidential informant and Short called Knuckles to arrange for the sale of four ounces of methamphetamine. On December 16, 2022, Knuckles dispatched Lyric Elizabeth Stevenson, 28, of Harper Woods, and David Lee Chatman, Jr., 38, of Inkster, to deliver the methamphetamine to Houghton County.

The press release says Knuckles negotiated terms for the sale of an additional amount of methamphetamine with the government's confidential informant. On December 22, 2022, Stevenson and Chatman couriered over eight ounces of methamphetamine from the Detroit area to Houghton County for Knuckles. A third shipment of methamphetamine was arranged on January 7, 2023. This time, Short traveled from Houghton County to Mackinac County to meet Stevenson and Chatman, who were also accompanied by Bernard Desean Harris, 24, of Detroit. Harris accompanied Short on the return trip to Houghton County and were stopped by Michigan State Police. A search of their vehicle yielded 241.6 grams of methamphetamine.

On December 12, 2023, Knuckles, Short, Stevenson, Chatman, and Harris were indicted on methamphetamine conspiracy and other methamphetamine tracking charges by a federal grand jury. Knuckles, Short, Stevenson, and Harris each pled guilty to the methamphetamine conspiracy.

On August 13 Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou sentenced Short to 41 months in prison and Harris to 46 months in prison. Co-defendant Lyric Elizabeth Stevenson is scheduled for sentencing by U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney on January 21, 2025. Co-defendant David Lee Chatman, Jr. has entered into a pretrial diversion agreement in which his prosecution has been deferred for a period of 12 months provided he successfully abide by a series of conditions set forth by the government and the U.S. Probation Office.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Upper Peninsula Substances Enforcement Team, and the Michigan State Police investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel S. Fauson is prosecuting it.

The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.