Posts Tagged ‘Assault Charges in Michigan’

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MI Assault Charges – Michigan Woman Accuses Husband of Assaulting Her While Driving

Monday, December 20th, 2010

While all marriages have their ups and downs, sometimes altercations between married couples turn violent. Any top criminal lawyer would warn however, that just because the domestic violence occurs between married people, it does not mean that a spouse will not face criminal charges for their actions. Such an example is seen in a recent case, where an East Lansing woman  reported her husband for domestic assault after he repeatedly struck her while she was driving them home.

In early November 2010, law enforcement officials in East Lansing received a phone call from a woman complaining of domestic assault problems with her husband. The woman had just gotten into an argument with her husband, Harvey Lee Hester, 28, concerning his drinking problem. His wife insisted that he not drive home while intoxicated. This angered Hester, who began to hit his wife while she was driving through the intersection of Grand River and Hagadorn in Ingham County.

His actions in the car prompted Hester’s wife to drive directly to the police station, where Hester was arrested on Michigan domestic assault charges. However, problems in Hester’s marriage are likely the least of his worries – conviction for domestic assault can have serious consequences on a person’s life including jail time, probation, domestic violence classes and stiff fines. Additionally, it is possible to be eliminated from prospective jobs because of an assault charge on one’s record.

While it is no secret that every marriage has its problems, cases such as these prove that criminal charges are common when altercations become physically assaultive. Because of the significant punishments that can befall a person convicted of any assault charge in Michigan, it is essential to have an experienced and knowledgeable legal team on your side. Contacting skilled Michigan defense attorneys is the first step to not only ensuring the best legal advice and legal representation, but the most positive outcome possible for your case.

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Posted in Assault Charges, Local Crimes | No Comments »

MI Sex Crimes – Michigan Police Officer Arrested For Assault, Forced Sexual Contact With Relative

Saturday, December 4th, 2010

Of all the criminal charges possible, society considers sexual offenses among the most heinous. Because of this, those accused of criminal sexual conduct or other sex crimes in Michigan face serious trouble and require the services of an experienced, tough sex crime lawyer in Michigan right away. Not only is it possible for the accused to face large fines and lengthy prison sentences, a convicted person must also repeatedly submit information to the state Sex Offender Registry, publicly setting a blemish on their record. For those who are public employees such as firefighters, police, or city officials, the punishment for a sex crime conviction can also include the loss of employment and public ridicule.

These circumstances are seen in a recent case where a law enforcement deputy was arrested for assault and sex crimes in Michigan after allegedly beating a relative and forcing her to engage in sexual acts.

In September 2010, 14-year Wayne County Police veteran Roderick Calhoun, 42, allegedly beat the victim with a belt and attempted to choke her in his Livonia home. According to the police report, Calhoun was living with the victim in a home with another relative, who had already left the home for work that day prior to the assault.

After hitting his relative, Calhoun supposedly brandished a handgun, threatening the victim and forcing her to perform sexual acts. Immediately following the incident, the victim reported the crime to local law enforcement officials, prompting police to arrest Calhoun shortly afterward. Currently, he is being held on a laundry list of offenses including four counts of third-degree sexual assault, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, felonious assault and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime. In total, the indictment against Calhoun lists 11 felony counts with a maximum of 15 years behind bars if found guilty.

As if the criminal charges against Calhoun are not enough, he also faces disciplinary action at work as well. At this time, he is suspended from his position at the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and is not likely to receive any special treatment because of his law enforcement position in the department. “These are very serious charges, and we will treat the prosecution of Roderick Calhoun just as we would any other defendant,” explained Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy. Even if he is acquitted, the charges currently against Calhoun could be enough to ruin his personal and professional reputation permanently in Detroit.

As seen by the example of Wayne County Deputy Roderick Calhoun, being accused of criminal sexual conduct is a scary and difficult experience for anyone to go through regardless of their occupation. Because the consequences of a sex crime, rape or molestation conviction are so severe, it is essential to contact hard-working and aggressive sex crime attorneys in Michigan for assistance. Acting very quickly will improve chances that you receive the best legal advice and legal representation necessary to prevent sex offenses from ruining your life, career, and reputation forever. Defendants being investigated for sex crimes should contact a top criminal lawyer as soon as they learn they are being investigated for a felony charge. Pre-charge intervention from a tough defense team can make a huge difference in the outcome of a case.

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Posted in Assault Charges, Felony Crimes, Gun Charges, Local Crimes, Sex Offender Registry, Sexual Offenses | No Comments »

MI Criminal Charges – Michigan Couple Arrested After Refusing to Leave Restaurant Bathroom

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Just like a small child misbehaving, acting inappropriately in a public place can land a person in a whole mess of trouble. Should law enforcement officials be alerted to your out-of-line behavior, it is possible that you could face serious consequences including criminal charges and even jail time. Throughout the career of experienced criminal lawyers in Michigan, it is common to see outrageous cases involving persons who are arrested for acting out in public. However, a recent example of a Flint couple arrested after refusing to leave a restaurant bathroom may be a first.

Last Friday, law enforcement officials were alerted to a disturbance at a Flint restaurant on S. Saginaw Street. According to restaurant management, a couple locked themselves in the bathroom. Most of the staff alleged that the two were having intercourse in the bathroom. Despite the restaurant employee’s best efforts to get the couple to leave, they had no success.

When the police finally arrived, they tried to ask the two to leave the bathroom. At this time, the couple became “irate and belligerent in public.” Both individuals attempted to resist arrest, and the female suspect allegedly assaulted an officer in the altercation. Although it is unknown whether the two were intoxicated at the time, both were arrested by police for various criminal charges. Officers booked the woman for resisting arrest and assault charges in Michigan, while the man was charged with attempting to interfere with police.

As seen by the aforementioned example, publicly displaying inappropriate behavior can land you in a mess of trouble. Conviction of these charges can haunt your record, and even result in substantial fines or probation time. To ensure that this does not happen to you, it is essential to pro-actively seek knowledgeable and aggressive criminal attorneys in Michigan for assistance. Doing so quickly will make sure you receive the legal advice and legal representation needed to give you the best possible chance at keeping a criminal conviction off your record.

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Posted in Assault Charges, Local Crimes | 1 Comment »

MI Assault Charges – Jury Declares Mistrial in Michigan Road Rage Shooting Case

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

According to the Second Amendment, persons over the age of 18 without any previous convictions are allowed to carry a firearm for self defense. However, there is often a very fine line between using a gun for protection and displaying a weapon with intent to assault someone. As this debate has been particularly heated in recent months, these cases are often seen by experienced criminal defense lawyers in Michigan. However, in many instances, the jury is divided over firearm issues. A recent example is that of a road rage shooting case that left the jury deadlocked, resulting in a mistrial.

While stopped at a traffic light in Farmington Hills, pizza delivery man Carl Mintz, 28, was approached by two outraged persons. Allegedly Faith Said, 20, and another man were driving behind Mintz, and were angry that he had been hitting his brakes frequently. According to testimony, Said spit on him and threatened him during the altercation. Believing that she was reaching for a weapon, Mintz grabbed his gun and shot her in the elbow. Even though he was legally permitted to possess the gun, Mintz was still arrested and charged with assault charges in Michigan, a ten year felony.

The jury deliberated this case for several days before determining a mistrial–according to The Detroit Free Press, nine jurors wanted to acquit Mintz believing that the prosecution failed to prove its case. However, three jurors disagreed leaving them at a deadlock.

As a result, it is likely that a plea bargain will be reached rather than retrying the case. The charges against Mintz may be reduced to a misdemeanor count of reckless discharge with a firearm. Once released on bond, Mintz will be required to wear a tether until his next court date in mid-October.

This case shows how fine the line is between personal protection and unlawful firearm use, and how divided people are over it. Although a majority of the jury sided with the defense, being accused of assault charges is no laughing matter. Conviction of these offenses will have life-changing consequences almost certainly resulting in jail time. To protect yourself and your personal freedoms, it is essential to contact knowledgeable criminal defense attorneys in Michigan. Doing so quickly is the first step to ensuring you receive the best legal advice and legal representation for your case, sure to keep you at home and not behind bars.

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Posted in Assault Charges, Felony Crimes, Gun Charges, Local Crimes | 1 Comment »

MI Criminal Charges – Michigan Prison Escapee of 34 Years Arrested by Police

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Experienced criminal defense lawyers in Michigan provide legal assistance to a variety of people undergoing the same scary experience: for one reason or another, police put them under arrest for criminal charges. While this is a stressful situation for anyone to go through, it is important to cooperate with the legal system and stay put. Running from law enforcement may seem to work in the short term, but police will search for you even if it takes years. Such an example is seen in the out-of-state arrest of a man who escaped from a Michigan prison over 30 years ago.

In 1976, the court system convicted Steven Gillin of burglary charges in Michigan, resulting in a three to 15 year prison sentence. Instead of serving his time, Gillin escaped from the Michigan Department of Corrections and traveled out-of-state. Assuming the name Thomas Evans, Gillin evaded law enforcement officials for 34 years living in various communities with unknowing neighbors.

Over the years, he started a small construction company and started living with his girlfriend. But after being arrested for assault and damage to personal property, his alias started to fall apart. When questioned by police, Gillin identified himself as Evans and was released on a written promise to appear in court.

Investigating the case later that day, police matched “Evans” fingerprints to Gillin, who had a substantial criminal record while maintaining his alias. Between 1991-2000, Gillin was arrested for several charges including driving while intoxicated, driving with a revoked license, and others. However, his identity was likely harder to uncover because, at that time, law enforcement officials did not have the use of fingerprinting technology. For the past three years, Michigan police have fingerprinted each person suspected of a misdemeanor to help identify repeat offenders and those assuming another identity, such as Gillin.

Local police officers arrested Gillin, jailing him without bond on a fugitive warrant. In addition to the stiff escape charges in Michigan he will undoubtedly face, law enforcement officials will also prosecute him for obstruction of justice for lying to his local magistrate about his true identity. If convicted of the charges against him, the 34 year prison escapee will likely be ordered to a significant time behind bars, if not a life sentence.

The example of Steven Gillin shows that you can run from the legal system but you cannot hide. As if the original charges against a suspect were not problematic enough, attempting to escape will almost certainly increase the offenses charged against the defendant. For a criminal suspect, running away will not help avoid punishment, instead it will substantially increase it. When suspected of a criminal offense, do not flee. Instead contact hard-working and aggressive criminal defense attorneys in Michigan for assistance. Acting quickly will ensure the best legal advice and legal representation for your defense, designed to keep criminal charges from changing your life forever.

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Posted in Assault Charges, Felony Crimes, For Your Information, Local Crimes, Theft Charges | 3 Comments »

MI Homicide Charges – Michigan Woman Charged with Murder After Facebook Feud Ends in Fatal Crash

Friday, July 30th, 2010

It is a simple fact that not everyone gets along with others for one reason or another. However, regardless of the altercation’s cause, physically attacking a person could land the aggressor in a lot of legal trouble. According to experienced criminal defense lawyers in Michigan, not only could a person be subject to fines and probation, but significant jail time as well. Should the attacked person sustain significant personal injury or die however, the suspect could also be charged with murder. Such is the case of a Michigan woman arrested for second-degree murder after a feud over Facebook resulted in a fatal crash which killed one person and caused serious injury to another.

In the past week, Torrie Emery, 23, was arguing over a man with another woman, Danielle Booth, 20, through the social media site Facebook. Following their conversation Booth made a police report that she felt threatened by Emery’s comments. Two days later, Booth’s suspicions were confirmed when Emery allegedly saw her in a car while driving and proceeded to ram into her vehicle several times. To escape the attacks, the driver of the Ford Taurus, Alesha Abernathy, 21, sped through a red light eventually colliding with a dump truck.

A Pontiac law enforcement official witnessed the crash and followed Emery as she attempted to speed off. When she finally stopped, police discovered not only that Emery has a previous criminal history, but she was also driving with her three year-old daughter in the vehicle. Despite her medical conditions such as bipolar disorder, Emery was ordered to await her preliminary hearing in the Oakland County jail on second-degree murder charges in Michigan, as well as assault with intent to commit bodily harm and child abuse. If convicted of the violations against her, Emery could face anywhere between four years to up to life in prison.

As evidenced by the example of Torrie Emery, physically acting out in response to an argument can land a person in a serious amount of legal trouble. Not only are her parental rights at risk, but Emery is facing significant jail time if convicted. For those who are in a similar situation, it is essential to pro-actively seek the best legal defense possible. Acting quickly to contact knowledgeable and hard-working criminal defense attorneys in Michigan will ensure the legal advice and legal representation needed to defend your case, keeping you at home with your family and out of jail.

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Posted in Assault Charges, Child Abuse Cases, Local Crimes, Murder Arrest | 4 Comments »

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