COLDWATER, Mich. -- A Branch County jury is expected to deliver a verdict today in the trial of Anthony Cuyler, a 47-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting two preteen girls and supplying them with methamphetamine in 2019.
The case went to the jury following emotional testimony this week from an 18-year-old woman who told jurors she was 11 when she and a 12-year-old friend rode bicycles to Cuyler's Union City home to return a book. She testified that once inside, they were offered marijuana, alcohol and methamphetamine and were sexually assaulted.
Cuyler faces two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, each carrying a possible life sentence, along with a charge of delivering methamphetamine to a minor, which could result in up to 40 years in prison. After an investigation began in 2019, Cuyler fled to Mexico and remained a fugitive for several years before being extradited by U.S. Marshals in June 2024 as part of Operation Survivor Justice.
The trial is being overseen by retired Judge David Buter following the resignation of the local judge.