Sentencing has been handed down to a South Lyon man caught with cocaine during a traffic stop.

20-year-old Elijah Christopher Dalke was sentenced Thursday to nine months in jail and two years’ probation. He will also be placed on a SCRAM tether for 90 days and must complete adult education and rehabilitation courses. Dalke was sentenced by Judge Michael P. Hatty in Livingston County Circuit Court. Dalke pleaded guilty as charged last month to delivery or manufacture of narcotics/cocaine less than 50 grams and consumption of alcohol by a minor.

The charges stem from Dalke’s arrest in September, after a traffic stop by Green Oak Township Police turned up 5.5 grams of cocaine in his vehicle. Green Oak Police Chief Jason Pless said officers had responded to reports of a fight at the Woodland Ridge Mobile Home Park in South Lyon, spotted Dalke driving away from the scene, and pulled him over. The officers reported smelling alcohol and administered sobriety tests, leading to his arrest for operating while intoxicated. A search of his vehicle turned up three small packages of cocaine, which Pless says appeared packaged for delivery.

The subsequent felony cocaine charge authorized against Dalke typically carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. (DK)