KINGMAN, Ariz. – A snitching scenario apparently explains disparate outcomes for two Grand Rapids, Michigan men busted hauling 2.2 pounds of cocaine through extreme Northwest Arizona.
Cortez Atkins, 30, was driving and James Parker, 37, was the passenger when the vehicle they occupied was pulled over on Interstate 15 near Littlefield in Aug., 2024. They were arrested for drug-related offenses when the kilogram of cocaine and some marijuana was seized by a DPS trooper.
Atkins entered a plea agreement and was placed on probation in January. Parker entered a separate deal and its mandatory five-year prison term was imposed by Mohave County Superior Court Judge Megan McCoy during an Aug. 20 sentencing hearing in Kingman.
Deputy county attorney James Gilmore told the court that Parker was more culpable, given statements made by Atkins.
Defense attorney Kellen Marlow, after his client was sent to prison, said that the state got to Atkins first and that Atkins ‘flipped’, and earned a better outcome by cooperating with the state.
It was noted in court that Parker is serving prison time in Michigan and was transported to Arizona to resolve his Mohave County case. Judge McCoy ruled that Parker must serve his Arizona prison time, separate and apart from his Michigan incarceration.
