Michigan Criminal Lawyers Blog

April 19, 2016

Onslow County NC Man Facing Drug Charges Following Traffic Stop

On Thursday, April 14, a 30-year-old Jacksonville, NC man was stopped by the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office Crime Reduction Team. Although news reports do not reveal why Andrew James Sanderford was stopped by officers, he now faces felony drug charges.

According to news reports, the officers discovered heroin inside Sanderford’s vehicle along with drug paraphernalia. He also allegedly has outstanding warrants. Sanderford is now charged with a single count of possession of drug paraphernalia, and one count of possession with intent to manufacture, deliver, or sell heroin, a felony charge. At last news reports he was in the Onslow County Jail under a $30,000 bond.

The media reports contain very few details, so we can only speculate as to why Sanderford was charged with possession with intent to distribute/deliver heroin. Police generally submit a charging request to the prosecutor, who then decides whether an individual will be charged with a crime, and what the charge will be. In cases involving illegal substances such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, or other drugs, police and prosecutors often make their decision regarding whether someone should be charged with simple possession or possession with intent based on the amount of drug in that person’s possession.

April 18, 2016

Assistant Miami-Dade State Attorney Resigns Following Drunk Driving Arrest

by Scott Grabel

Recently, 51-year-old Lisa Jacobs, a prosecutor with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, resigned her position after being arrested for DUI and leaving the scene of an accident.

According to a news report at CBS Miami, Jacobs had been a prosecutor with the office for 18 years. At the time of the incident which occurred on I-95 near the Hallandale Beach Blvd. exit, Jacobs’s children, ages 10 and 14, were in the vehicle with her.

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper said that Jacobs had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and was unable to maintain her balance. Jacobs admitted that while at the Outback Steakhouse, she had three glasses of wine before leaving to pick her children up from Cooper City.

April 15, 2016

Charges Pending Against Four Individuals in Flint After Police Receive Anonymous Tip

by Scott Grabel

On Monday, April 4 the CATT (Crime Area Target Team) squad of the Flint Police Department received an anonymous tip regarding possible drug activity at a residence on the city’s south side.

According to information released by the department, police knocked on the door of the residence upon arriving at the scene and found illegal narcotics which included heroin, marijuana, and crack-cocaine. Officers also discovered four firearms, one of which was stolen, and cash at the home. Police confiscated what they described as “large amounts” of drugs along with the firearms and money.

News reports from April 14 state charges against the four individuals, who were not named, are pending review by the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office.

April 14, 2016

Juan Enrique Reyes Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2007 Shooting Murder

by Scott Grabel

On Wednesday, April 13, 27-year-old Juan Enrique Reyes was sentenced to life in prison by Judge George Buth for the second-degree murder of Douglas “Ryan” Pollok who was killed in 2007 at a party in Grand Rapids when shots were fired into a crowd of 20 to 30 people.

It took eight years for Reyes to be convicted and sentenced for the murder, as he and his brother, Eric Santiago, fled to Mexico following the shooting. Reyes did not know Pollok, and fired the shots in connection with another feud resulting in Pollok being struck in the chest by a bullet. According to news reports, Reyes and Santiago were featured on “America’s Most Wanted” in 2009 and again in 2012. The two men apparently had a grudge with a neighbor, who they were attempting to shoot at when Pollok was killed. Another man was also injured in the shooting.

In addition to life in prison, Reyes was sentenced to 20 to 50 years for assault with intent to murder and two years for felony firearm.

April 12, 2016

Major Drug Trafficking Ring Shut Down as DEA Confiscates 31 Kilos of Cocaine and $2.4 Million in Cash

by Scott Grabel

Following an 8-month-long investigation by a DEA task force which netted $2.4 million in cash and 31 kilos of cocaine in the Baltimore area, four men are now facing federal drug charges. According to news reports at CBS in Baltimore, the major drug trafficking ring has ties to a Mexican drug organization. DEA Special Agent Karl Colder said following the massive drug bust that the task force has “just disrupted a major cell here in the area.”

Authorities say the men were disguising the drug deal organization as KMKJ Trucking, and transporting large amounts of drugs into Maryland from Mexico. DEA agents received a tip about the company, and on Friday discovered nearly 60 lbs. of cocaine inside a vehicle leaving unit L at the alleged trucking company’s warehouse. Two days earlier, the men reportedly unloaded a tractor trailer at that same warehouse.

Investigators also served a search warrant at one of the men’s homes, and discovered duffel bags in the basement containing more than $2 million dollars in cash that was vacuum-sealed, along with a ledger detailing the drug transactions. Those arrested in the drug trafficking scheme include 64-year-old Hector Hernandez-Villapando, two of his sons, and William Cornish, who news reports refer to as an accomplice. All of the men now face life in prison if convicted.

April 11, 2016

MA Middle School Principal Arrested for Drunk Driving, Placed on Administrative Leave

by Scott Grabel

On April 3, Debra Gately, Principal at Dedham Middle School was arrested at approximately 12:45 a.m. by Weston police for driving while intoxicated. According to news reports, Gately’s blood alcohol content at the time of her arrest was .19 percent, more than twice the legal limit of .08 percent. Gately, who is 44 years old, submitted to a chemical breath test and field sobriety tests, which she failed. She has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Gately admitted to Weston Officer Robert Powell that she had consumed three vodka drinks. Powell said that Gately’s speech was significantly slurred, her eyes glassy, red, and bloodshot, and that her breath smelled strongly of alcohol.

Gately, who was selected by the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association as middle school principal of the year for 2015, has been placed on administrative leave as the investigation continues. She was spotted by a Waltham police officer who claimed Gately was driving erratically on I-95 before pulling off the interstate into the parking lot of a day care center. The officer, who said she nearly crashed four times, followed Gately and took her car keys before Weston police arrived on the scene.

April 8, 2016

Detroit Woman Charged with Reckless Driving Causing Death Following Crash at Former Tiger Stadium Grounds

by Scott Grabel

On Saturday, April 2, a woman was speeding along on Michigan Avenue near Trumbull on a stretch of bumpy and deteriorated road when she allegedly stuck another car that in turn struck a man who came to Detroit from Pelkie. His body was thrown over a fence, where he was pronounced dead.

According to news reports, 33-year-old Shayla D. Tucker was driving the vehicle that started the chain reaction. The vehicle she struck at approximately 1 a.m. then struck 35-year-old Paul Pesola, whose body was propelled over an eight foot high fence into the former Tiger Stadium grounds. Initially police believed Pesola’s death was a homicide, however they put two and two together and connected his death to the prior morning’s crash the next day.

Tucker was taken to an area hospital before being taken into custody by police. She has been charged with Reckless Driving Causing Death, and is scheduled to be arraigned on April 8.

April 7, 2016

New Trial Ordered for Oklahoma Woman Whose Murder Conviction was Reversed by Appeals Court

by Scott Grabel

In June of 2014, Loretta Hawks, who was 35 years old at the time, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of 47-year-old Arthur Strozewski in August of 2012. News reports call the incident a “home invasion style murder.” Hawks allegedly participated with two others, all three charged with murder, kidnapping, and burglary.

Testimony at trial indicated that Hawks had lived with the victim, who threw her out of the home earlier on the day he was killed. She reportedly returned to the home later that evening with the two co-defendants. At the time the three went to Strozewski’s home, his two teenage children were also present. While the victim’s daughter was able to call 911, Strozewski and his son were allegedly bound with duct tape. The victim was then stabbed to death.

Earlier this week, Hawks’ conviction and life prison sentence were reversed by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, and a new trial ordered. Hawks claimed in her appeal that the evidence she aided the co-defendants or participated in the murder of the victim was insufficient. While the conviction and sentence were reversed, news reports do not reveal what the court based its decision on.

April 5, 2016

Flat Tire Results in Drug Charges for Cincinnati Teen

by Scott Grabel

On Sunday, April 3, a 19-year-old Cincinnati man was arrested on drug charges after he drew the attention of Madison County Sheriff’s Dept. deputies by stopping suddenly on Interstate 75.

According to news reports, Christian Michael Spaulding was traveling in a southbound direction on the interstate when he went off the roadway after crossing all lanes of traffic. Upon exiting his vehicle, it continued moving forward. When deputies arrived at the scene, they noticed Spaulding’s speech was slurred, and that he was having problems maintaining his balance. Deputies asked Spaulding what was going on, to which he replied he had a flat tire. The citation claims that when asked if deputies could search his vehicle, Spaulding refused.

A canine unit was deployed by deputies, which resulted in the dog alerting to the presence of drugs in the vehicle. Upon searching, officers discovered a baggie containing four Xanax pills, six empty baggies, and several baggies of marijuana packaged for delivery.

April 4, 2016

Centennial Crash Caused by Intoxicated Teen Leaves Two Dead

by Scott Grabel

On Friday, April 1, an 18-year-old man was charged with one count each of DUI, possession of a forged instrument, reckless driving, and two counts of vehicular homicide after a crash on Colorado Boulevard resulted in the deaths of two women.

Taden Jones was reportedly crashed into another vehicle just after 3:30 p.m. on Friday as he was driving in the area of South Colorado Boulevard and East Peakview Circle in Centennial. Two women were inside the vehicle Jones crashed with, one of them ejected from the vehicle who died at the scene. The other woman was injured and taken to a hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries.

Jones and a passenger in his vehicle were not injured. Jones was arrested and booked at the Arapahoe County Detention Facility, his bond set at $50,000.