HILLSDALE — A man who committed a slew of robberies in December 1993 and paroled into society nearly 30 years later could spend the rest of his life in prison for a new criminal conviction.
Bryant Vaughn Ziegler, 55, of Hillsdale was arrested by the Hillsdale City Police Department on Nov. 5 during a routine traffic stop for driving without his headlights on at night in town. Officers discovered 2.5 grams of methamphetamine in his vehicle during the stop.
Ziegler pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine, a 10-year felony, Monday, Dec. 9 in the 1st Judicial Circuit Court of Hillsdale County and during his plea hearing admitted that he was released on parole in 2021 and still subjected to terms of parole supervision.
Worse yet, a conviction in this new file could mean Ziegler will spend the rest of his life in prison for a parole violation in 1994 convictions of armed robbery out of Lenawee County.
On Dec. 3, 1993, Ziegler held up Knights Grocery Store in Clayton, Michigan at gunpoint earning him life in prison during a sentencing hearing in September 1994.
That same year, Ziegler admitted to robbing the now closed Camden branch of Southern Michigan Bank & Trust earning him 18-30 years in prison.
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Ziegler said he became addicted to methamphetamine after his cat passed away and he felt lonely, turning to drugs.
Judge Sara S. Lisznyai revoked bond in the methamphetamine case given Ziegler’s parole status and hold.
He is tentatively scheduled for sentencing on the methamphetamine case at 8:30 a.m., Jan. 27, 2025. It is unknown when, if at all, he will face a parole violation hearing with the Michigan Department of Corrections.
— Contact Reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Hillsdale man’s drug conviction could spell life sentence in old case