Drug dealer sentenced to 13-32 years in prison

By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor

LUDINGTON — A 35-year-old Muskegon man convicted of multiple drug felonies was sentenced in Mason County’s 51st Circuit Court Wednesday, Oct. 8, to 13-32 years in prison.

Dakota Raymond Wilber was convicted by a jury last June of six felony counts: possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver methamphetamine, conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver less than 50 grams of a mixture containing cocaine, possession with intent to deliver less than 50 grams of a mixture containing cocaine, possession of less than 25 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl and possession of buprenorphine.

Wilber and co-conspirator Levi Alan Richard of Oceana County were operating “a portable drug store” at the time of their arrests, said Mason County Prosecuting Attorney Beth Hand.

“On June 20, 2025, after deliberating for less than one hour, the jury returned a verdict of guilty as charged on all counts,” said Prosecutor Hand.

“Today, Wilber was sentenced by the Honorable (retired) Timothy Hicks to 13 years to 32 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections,” she said. “Sentencing guidelines ranged from 78 months to 260 months.”

“The defendant and his co-conspirator, Levi Richard, had a portable drug store,” Hand stated. The duo drove from Muskegon County to sell drugs in Mason County and unwittingly sold the drugs to an undercover officer. “The two parked in the Meijer parking lot for nearly an hour, meeting with other individuals before an attempted stop by law enforcement turned into a high-speed chase. Once their vehicle became disabled, the two conspirators fled on foot.”

Prosecutor Beth Hand said she argued for a sentence at the top end of the guidelines given Wilber’s prior criminal record “and

Levi Richard

the fact that he was released on bond for felony charges out of Muskegon County at the time he committed these offenses.” He faces charges of firearm possession by a felon, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and fourth-offense habitual offender, according to court records.

Wilber has served previous prison terms for methamphetamine possession, operating a meth lab and uttering and publishing convictions in Kent and Genesee counties, according to Michigan Department of Corrections records.

Richard was sentenced to a minimum of 13 ½ years in prison for 11 felony convictions, March 11.

“I hope that this sentence sends a message to people who even think about selling drugs in this county. Ask yourself — is the financial profit worth the risk of a lengthy prison term? Dealers, keep your poison away from Mason County.”

____________________

Please Support Local News

Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news. 

Payment can be made monthly via credit card, bank account, PayPal or Venmo through recurring email invoicing. These payments can be set up for autopay each month.

To sign up, email editor@mediagroup31.com. In the subject line write: Subscription. Please supply your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number (indicate cell phone). We will not share your information with any outside sources. For more than one email address in a household, the cost is $15 per month per email address.

Alternative methods:

• We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).

Payment must be made in advance prior to subscription activation.

We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.

_____

This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2025, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.

As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.