A man who injured two people in a Houghton County drunk driving crash will spend considerable time in prison.
John Michael Cook
Thirty-seven-year-old John Matthew Cook was arrested after causing a crash in January of 2025. He pled to charges of Operating with a High Blood Alcohol Level Causing Serious Injury and Operating While Intoxicated, 3rd Offense on December 8th, and was remanded to await sentencing.
On Thursday, Twelfth Circuit Court Judge Brittany Bulleit imposed a sentence 3 to 10 years. Cook will not be eligible for parole until the minimum term of the sentence is completed. He was credited with 131 days already served.
Houghton County Prosecutor Dan Helmer said that no reduced plea deal was offered to Cook, noting that Cook’s blood alcohol level registered at .21 – three times the legal limit. Helmer also cited Cook’s long history of drunk driving arrests, and the injuries caused in the 2025 crash.
Helmer also said he hopes the conviction will send a message to anyone who thinks about getting behind the wheel while drunk in Houghton County. He thanked Judge Bulleit for the sentence, and Trooper Colin Pennala and other members of the Michigan State Police Post in Calumet for their investigation.
