Kingsford man sentenced to prison in connection with Alger County operation | News, Sports, Jobs

MATTHEW COOLEY

MARQUETTE – A Kingsford man faces a minimum of two years in prison on charges related to an Alger County sting operation that targeted adults attempting to commit sexual acts with minors.

Matthew Clarence Cooley was arrested on March 10, 2023, for child abuse, use of a computer to commit a crime, and possession of methamphetamine during an undercover operation by the Alger County Sheriff's Office.

In August, he agreed to plead no contest in Alger County's 11th District Court to charges of communicating with children and using a computer to commit a crime.

According to Captain Matthew Waldron of the Alger County Sheriff's Office, he was subsequently sentenced to two to twenty years in state prison.

Cooley responded to officers' undercover operation in early 2023 and then traveled from Kingsford to Munising with the intent to have sexual intercourse with a minor, according to the Alger County Sheriff's Office. Several officers arrested Cooley when he arrived at the agreed-upon location.

The Alger County Sheriff's Office has successfully conducted several such operations, but Cooley was the first to be sentenced to prison as a result, the office said in a statement.