Michigan Criminal Lawyers Blog

January 27, 2016

Pine Bluff Woman Stopped for Speeding, Faces Drug Charges

Recently, 33-year-old Christina Deam was pulled over by a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy in Arkansas for allegedly driving 63 mph in a 55 mph zone on U.S. 79. As a result of the traffic stop, Deam now faces drug charges.

According to news reports, Deam was initially taken into custody on two misdemeanor warrants. A probable cause affidavit revealed that Deputy James Hoffman performed the traffic stop, and Deam admitted she did not have a driver’s license. A passenger in the vehicle with Deam also did not have a license; after running a records check, Hoffman found both had warrants. Deam and her passenger were arrested.

After conducting an air sniff of Deam’s car with the assistance of Hoffman’s K-9 partner in which the dog alerted on the driver’s side door, a clear plastic bag of what was believed to be cocaine was found in the door pocket. Suspected cocaine was also found in Deam’s handbag, along with a clear straw containing residue of suspected cocaine. The State Crime Lab will perform an analysis to determine if all of the materials found in the handbag and vehicle are indeed cocaine, however Deam denied any knowledge of it.

January 26, 2016

Florida Sheriff’s Deputy Making DUI Arrest Has Patrol Car Sideswiped by Another Drunk Driver

by Scott Grabel

On Sunday evening, a sheriff’s deputy was marking a DUI arrest in Hillsborough County when his parked patrol car was struck by a car driven by an impaired driver. News reports say the incident occurred at about 10:30 p.m. in Tampa. The driver of the vehicle who sideswiped the patrol car, 49–year-old Todd M. Casey, kept going. Deputies did catch up with Casey.

Sheriff’s deputies were in the process of arresting 36-year-old Michael Probst when the incident occurred. When deputies did apprehend Casey, they noticed his speed was slurred, that he smelled of alcohol, and had red, glassy eyes. Upon administering breath tests, it was found that Casey’s BAC (blood alcohol content) registered .181 percent on one test and .196 percent on another. In Florida, the legal limit is .08 percent, therefore Casey’s BAC was more than twice the legal limit.

Casey was cited for not moving over when passing an emergency vehicle; he was charged with DUI with property damage.

January 25, 2016

Kentwood Resident Faces Up to Five Years in Prison, Other Penalties for Tax Evasion

by Scott Grabel

Recently, United States Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr. announced in a Department of Justice press release that Gregory Claxton, a resident of Kentwood, pleaded guilty to evading the payment of federal income taxes to the IRS for the years 2006 through 2012. According to the release, Claxton willfully evaded paying nearly $149,000 in taxes by placing property and money in the names of other individuals. He will now be required to pay more than $200,000 in restitution to the IRS, which includes interest along with $250,000 in fines; he also faces up to five years in prison.

Until 2000, Claxton was a certified public accountant according to court records. He was operating a tax preparation business for clients at the time he was investigated and found to be evading payment of taxes. Claxton transferred the deed of his home to a trust in his wife’s name, and also deposited money from his business into his wife’s bank accounts in order to make it appear he did not have the money to pay the taxes owed. Claxton met with the IRS to discuss the outstanding tax debt, and admitted transferring the deed of his house just two days earlier.

Those involved in the investigation include Jarod J. Koopman, Special Agent in Charge, IRS – Criminal Investigation and other IRS special agents. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally J. Berens prosecuted the case.

January 22, 2016

Hillsdale Man Pleads No Contest to Possession of Drugs

by Scott Grabel

In October of last year, Rodney Gene Beumel was found asleep in his truck by Hillsdale City Police. Officers found Beumel after receiving reports that his truck was parked in a way that was blocking traffic.

Upon finding Beumel and his truck in an alley near the hospital, police discovered the offender had an open container of alcohol inside his vehicle. Upon further inspection, police found Beumel had prescription pills and methamphetamine, drugs he had no prescription for. Earlier this month, Beumel appeared in court facing criminal charges that included driving under the influence of drugs and possession of drugs. At his arraignment, a not guilty plea was entered on Beumel’s behalf. In all, Beumel faced four felony charges although not all of the offenses were listed in news reports.
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January 21, 2016

Los Angeles City Councilman’s Conviction for Voting Fraud & Perjury Overturned by Appeals Court

by Scott Grabel

In 2014, former Los Angeles city councilman Richard Alarcon and his wife, Flora, were convicted on charges of perjury and voting fraud. According to news reports, the couple lived in Sun Valley, but claimed they lived in Panorama City so that Alarcon could represent the district. The Alarcons appealed the conviction, and were successful.

According to an article at the Los Angeles Times, a panel of justices with the 2nd District Court of Appeals found the trial judge in the case had issued improper instructions to the jury. Superior Court Judge George Lomeli instructed the jury in the case, however the appeals court justices ruled that “we cannot conclude that the instructional error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.”
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January 19, 2016

Family Members Busted for Dealing Drugs in PA

by Scott Grabel

A months-long investigation led to police executing a search warrant at a home in Coolbaugh Township in PA, according to a news article at WFMZ.com. Upon searching the home, police found loaded guns, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana throughout the home.

The Pocono Mountain Regional Police Dept. announced on Monday that five adults were arrested following the search, and an arrest warrant issued for a sixth. A 4-year-old child was taken from the home by Monroe County Children and Youth Agency, while a 16-year-old boy was put in juvenile detention. The ages of the adults arrested so far range from 22 to 54. The man police are still searching for is 28-year-old Andrew Turner, who wasn’t at the residence at the time of the search.
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January 18, 2016

Miss Washington USA Resigns Amidst Controversy Surrounding April 2015 DUI Arrest

by Scott Grabel

Last Thursday, co-executive producer of Northwest Productions announced on her Facebook page that Miss Washington USA Stormy Keffeler had resigned, and that Kelsey Schmidt, first runner-up, would assume the title. Keffeler’s resignation is reportedly in connection with a DUI arrest in April of last year.

According to news reports, Maureen Francisco, the co-executive producer who works with Miss Washington USA, was unaware at the time of the October pageant that Keffeler had been arrested on DUI charges in April after being pulled over while driving on two flat tires. Court documents claim her BAC (blood alcohol content) level was almost three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
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January 15, 2016

Appeals Court Upholds Second-Degree Murder Conviction of Man Convicted of Killing Cousin

by Scott Grabel

In May of 2014, Kyle Wilson of Alpine Township was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his cousin Brandon Nelson. The two men shared an apartment; Wilson allegedly beat Nelson in a dispute over pizza.

According to news reports, Wilson fled the apartment after beating his cousin, taking his cell phone and wallet. He claimed he was acting in self-defense, although investigators discovered blood spatters in the apartment that indicated the victim had been struck numerous times while on the floor. Wilson appealed his conviction, however the Court of Appeals upheld it in part because of this evidence. Wilson is currently serving a 46 to 150 year sentence. He had previously been convicted of killing a 15-year-old boy in a dispute over money, and had served several years in prison before his 2013 release, at which point he moved in with Nelson, his cousin.

After living with Nelson just five months, the two became involved in an argument over rent and pizza. Wilson claims that Nelson shouted at him that we wanted to kill him, charged him, and that he was frightened. When his cousin charged him a second time, Wilson claims he struck him twice in the head; he also claims he never hit Nelson after he was down on the floor.

January 14, 2016

15-year-old Girl Charged in Murder of Mother, Boyfriend in Brooklyn

by Scott Grabel

Just before the new year, a 15-year-old girl allegedly shot and stabbed her mother along with her mother’s boyfriend, according to news reports at The New York Times. The girl, Destiny Garcia, is charged with the murder of her mother, 38-year-old Rosie Sanchez, and 40-year-old Anderson Nunez, Sanchez’s boyfriend. The bodies were discovered a few days later when police were brought to the apartment the couple shared on Batchelder Street in Brooklyn.

Garcia’s mother sustained multiple gunshot wounds, and was found in an easy chair; her boyfriend had both gunshot and stab wounds, and was discovered on the floor. The girl has been charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and two counts of second-degree murder.

Prosecutors said that Garcia had confessed to the murders on videotape; it was also revealed that another individual helped her in the killings. Garcia told detectives that her actions were self-defense, and that she had been abused physically by her mother in the past.

January 12, 2016

Arizona Man Arrested on Felony Drug Charges Following Traffic Stop

by Scott Grabel

On Friday January 8, a Needles man was arrested by Mohave County Sheriff’s deputies after drugs were found in the vehicle of 56-year-old Stewart Randolph Daman during a traffic stop.

According to news reports, deputies pulled Daman over at about 11:30 p.m. He was arrested on possession of drug paraphernalia, driving with a suspended license, suspicion of possession of dangerous drugs, failure to pay fines warrant for driving with a suspended license issued in 2007, and a warrant for possession of drug paraphernalia issued by Bullhead City Justice Court. Authorities performed a records check and found Daman had a suspended license as well as outstanding warrants.

Upon searching the vehicle deputies found two plastic bags that after field testing proved to be methamphetamine. A glass pipe with burnt residue was also found in the vehicle. When questioned, Daman claimed he did not know the drugs were in the vehicle, and that they could belong to his brother. He was taken into custody without incident, and booked into the Mohave County Jail.