Drug & Firearm Acquittal
Acquittal on all Federal charges in years-old drugs and firearm case for client of Attorney Heath Lynch
Muskegon area man faced life in prison if found guilty
Lansing, Mich. – April 28, 2022 –Sidney Maurice Scott, Jr. was recently acquitted by a federal jury on charges stemming from a 2018 raid in Muskegon Heights.
Criminal Defense Attorney Heath Lynch of Springstead Bartish Borgula & Lynch PLLC, said the government’s case was entirely circumstantial. Law enforcement connected his client to an apartment in Muskegon Heights where officers found drugs, drug paraphernalia, and a loaded gun in a raid following a nearby undercover drug purchase. During the raid, police found personal items belonging to Scott in the apartment. Scott had previously lived at the apartment, which was rented by his former girlfriend. However, he left some of his belongings behind when he moved out in 2017.
Scott, who has no prior criminal history, had been charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was out on bond while facing a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison. Scott rejected a plea deal from prosecutors where he would serve a minimum of 10 years in prison.
On April 22, a federal jury acquitted Scott on all charges following a two-day trial and two days of deliberation in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan in Lansing.
“The fact is, more than one person had access to that apartment,” Lynch said upon his client’s acquittal. “It was circumstantial based on his belongings – clothing – being present in the apartment. There was not enough evidence to pin these heavy crimes on my client.”
