(COLDWATER) - A Union City man has been convicted following a three day trial in Branch County Circuit Court.
Branch County Prosecutor Zachary Stempien says on Thursday, 48 year old Anthony Cuyler was found guilty of three counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct against two children under the age of 13 and delivery of methamphetamine to a minor. The CSC charges happened on July 23 and July 24 in 2019.
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 to locate Cuyler.
The United States Marshals Service screened the case 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 says he appreciates the assistance of the Michigan Attorney General's Office who prosecuted the case.
Cuyler is scheduled to be sentenced on February 9. The CSC conviction carries up to a term of life in prison with a mandatory prison sentence of 25 years. The delivery of meth conviction carries a term of up to 40 years in prison.