Luce County drug bust suspects arraigned

NEWBERRY — The three suspects who were arrested Wednesday following a number of UPSET East investigations have been arraigned in Luce County.

Kenneth Collins, 41; Joy Derusha, 37; and Sara Nelson, 26, were read their charges Thursday afternoon in 92nd District Court. All three suspects face multiple charges spread across multiple cases.

Collins has three cases pending. In the first case, he faces two charges: delivery or manufacture of less than 50 grams of cocaine on school property and maintaining a drug house. He has second-offense habitual offender status attached to the second count.

In case two, the charges are the same except that instead of cocaine, he’s charged with the delivery and/or manufacture of a controlled substance. His third case mirrors the first.

Derusha also has three cases. Charges for the first case are delivery or manufacture of less than 50 grams of cocaine with second-offense status attached and maintaining a drug house.

Her second case has one count each of creation of a counterfeit substance believed to be meth or ecstasy and maintaining a drug house with fourth-offense habitual offender status attached.

Her final case has the exact same counts as the first.

The final co-defendant, Nelson, has only two cases pending.

The first contains two charges: delivery/manufacture of less than 50 grams of cocaine on school property and maintaining a drug house.

Her second case contains one charge, delivery or manufacture of less than 50 grams of cocaine.

All three will return to court on February 5th for a probable cause conference and then again on the 9th for a preliminary exam.

Their bonds have been set at $50,000 a piece and remain lodged in the Chippewa County Jail.

UPSET East conducted its investigations with the Luce County Sheriff’s Department, the Michigan State Police Sault Ste. Marie post and the State Police 8th District Hometown Security Team.