By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
NILES, MI – A number of cases have been handled recently in Berrien County Trial Court at the Niles courthouse as well as in Cass County Circuit Court at the Law & Courts building in Cassopolis.
Curtis Scott Sheldon, 38, of Niles, pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual conduct against a minor age 13 to 15 and was sentenced to 10-15 years in prison with credit for 98 days served. He must pay $198 in fines and costs and must register as a sex offender.
The incident occurred Oct. 30, 2025 at a residence in Niles.
Berrien County Assistant Prosecutor Myrene Koch said that the crime will have a lasting impact on the victim. “His actions were very serious; I ask for a sentence at the top end of the guidelines,” she said.
Dominique Michael Meer, 26, of Indiana, pleaded guilty to accosting a child for immoral purposes and using a computer to commit a crime and was sentenced to five years probation, 180 days in jail with credit for 120 days served and $726 in fines and costs. He must register as a sex offender.
The incident occurred March 2, 2024 in Niles when he was arrested during an undercover online sting.
Defense attorney Carri Briseno said that Meer is remorseful about his actions. “It’s been evident to me the level of remorse he has,” she said. “This has impacted his life greatly. He acknowledges that he is where he is in life due to his own choices.”
“I understand what I did was wrong,” Meer said. “I want to be able to get out there and prove this is not who I am.”
Berrien County Trial Court Judge Gordon Hosbein noted that while Meer was arrested in a sting operation, it was not a victimless crime. “In your case, the purpose of your probation is deterrence and rehabilitation,” the judge said. “You need to understand the impact of your actions and that it’s not okay and that it won’t be tolerated.”
A Cassopolis man who shot at a couple fishing on an area lake was sentenced to prison last week in Cass County Circuit Court.
Britt Allen Weaver, 59, of Cassopolis, was convicted by a jury in late February of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of use of a weapon in the commission of a felony.
Last week, he was sentenced to one year to four years in prison on the felonious assault counts and two years in prison on the felony firearm counts. The the felony firearm counts are concurrent with each other but consecutive to the felonious assault counts. He has credit for 47 days served and must pay $1,902 in fines and cots.
The incident occurred May 3, 2025 when he shot his rifle at a couple who were fishing in a public access area on Christiana Creek off of Cassopolis Road and Mt. Zion Road near Cassopolis. Weaver confronted the couple who he accused of thefts in the area and later shot at them.
The victims, Devetta and Joseph Farrow, spoke before the sentencing. Devetta Farrow said the incident had changed her life and caused her to be fearful of other people and of being outside. “I grew up in this area and before the shooting I never felt unsafe until now,” she said.
Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz said the case shows how criminal behavior can impact lawful citizens. “This is such a tragedy,” he said. “They were doing the lawful act of fishing. This defendant had no excuse for what he did. He doesn’t own the creek or determine who can be there.”
Cass County Circuit Court Judge Mark Herman noted that Weaver had served in the military and didn’t have a criminal record. In this case, he said believed the jury got it right and questioned why Weaver just didn’t call the police if he thought the couple had an ill intent. He added that he believed Weaver shot off his gun to scare them.
In other pending cases, jury trial dates have been set for a Missouri man accused in a 2023 Niles murder and an Eau Claire woman charged with being an accessory after the fact in connection with the 2024 murder of an Eau Claire firefighter.
Jamie Perry of St. Louis, Missouri is set to go to trial in early May in Berrien County Trial Court. He is charged with open murder in the 2023 death of Luke Botica at Botica’s home on the north side of Niles. Perry had previously been found incompetent to stand trial but was found competent earlier this year.
Pamela Scott of Eau Claire also faces trial in early May in Berrien County Trial Court. She is charged with being an accessory after the fact and lying to police during a violent crime, stemming from her involvement in the Chad Medlin murder investigation. Scott’s husband, Rigoberto Gomez, was convicted of second degree murder in Medlin’s death earlier this year.
In another case, former Dowagiac resident Reese Pence will be sentenced April 27 for first degree murder. He was convicted earlier this year of killing teen Gavin Blankenship on May 12, 2022. Pence is also currently serving a long prison sentence in Indiana for killing two Niles women just across the state line later in 2022.