A 48-year-old Kentwood man was sentenced to six to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to trafficking more than 1,000 grams of cocaine, a case that began with a dramatic February police chase ending in a foot pursuit between houses where he tossed a kilogram of the drug to the ground. Corey James Carter entered his guilty plea in August, and a Kent County judge handed down the sentence this week.
According to WOODTV.com, Carter's second drug case was dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Court records cited by the station say the arrests stemmed from a February 20 incident in which Grand Rapids Vice Unit detectives, working with assistance from federal officials, attempted to stop a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe near 60th Street and Eastern Avenue SE. Carter was riding in the passenger seat while 45-year-old Nicholas Ardell Burns was behind the wheel.
Per the probable cause affidavit referenced in the WOODTV.com report, Burns intentionally struck police vehicles in an attempt to evade officers before deflating spike strips brought the Tahoe to a stop. Burns was arrested on the spot, while Carter fled on foot between houses. During that flight, he reportedly threw a kilogram of cocaine to the ground, and police later recovered more than an ounce of cocaine along his escape path. All told, the tossed cocaine weighed 2.6 pounds.
Additional Cocaine and a Firearm Found at Carter's Home
Investigators didn't stop at the chase scene. A subsequent search of Carter's nearby house turned up an additional 2.8 pounds of cocaine along with a firearm, according to court records cited by the station. Combined with what was tossed during the chase, the total seizure reached nearly 5.5 pounds of cocaine. The arrests also led to the confiscation of multiple kilo wrappers and digital scales. Carter was booked at the Kent County Correctional Facility the same day.
Court records say Burns and Carter were returning to Kentwood from Detroit at the time of the stop. Periódico Hispano en Michigan reported that investigators described a growing cocaine-trafficking trend, with shipments coming mainly from cities such as Detroit and Chicago.
Statutory Stakes Under Michigan's Drug Law
Under Michigan Public Health Code Section 333.7401(2)(a)(i), manufacturing, delivering, or possessing with intent to deliver 1,000 grams or more of cocaine is a felony punishable by up to life imprisonment and a fine of up to $1,000,000, according to the Michigan Legislature. By comparison, delivering 450 grams or more but less than 1,000 grams carries a maximum of 30 years and a $500,000 fine, illustrating how far above that threshold Carter's case fell. His plea deal ultimately resulted in a six-year minimum set by the judge, well below the maximum potential exposure the statute allows.
Felony drug cases of this scale in Kent County typically begin with arraignments and preliminary hearings in local district courts before being bound over to the 17th Circuit Court for trial or sentencing, per attorney Tanis Schultz. Specialty court services are available in some courts.
Co-Defendant's Case Still Pending
Burns faces multiple charges of his own, including delivery or manufacture of more than 1,000 grams of cocaine, and has a court hearing scheduled for next month.
