Michigan Criminal Lawyers Blog

December 21, 2015

North Royalton Man Arrested for DUI After Speeding Out of Taco Bell Drive-thru

Recently, a man whose name was not revealed was pulled over by North Royalton Police after an officer observed the driver speeding out of a Taco Bell drive-thru in a Dodge Avenger. The incident took place on December 11 in North Royalton, OH according to news reports.

The officer claimed he noticed the smell of alcohol when talking to the driver. He also said the man acted drunk. While the driver denied he had been drinking, he replied “really?” when the officer asked him about the smell. The officer did comment that the driver was polite.

While talking to the driver, the officer noticed what he believed to be marijuana in the center console of the vehicle. Upon searching the Avenger, he discovered a jar filled with marijuana, a pipe, and grinder. The officer administered a field sobriety test, which the driver failed. During the test, the suspect reportedly made the comment “It got a little hard there at the end.”

December 18, 2015

Milford Woman Charged with Murder in Beating Death of Husband

by Scott Grabel

Recently, a 58-year-old Milford woman was charged with the murder of her 68-year-old husband, who was suffering from dementia according to an article at People.com. Yvonne Helen Cortis allegedly bludgeoned Gregory Cortis using a metal rod, then attacked the couple’s dog.

The incident occurred on November 30. While Cortis sustained multiple fatal injuries to his head and torso due to blunt force trauma, the 11-year-old golden Labrador retriever, Carly, survived the beating.

A news report at the Detroit Free Press reveals Cortis used a crowbar to beat her husband and the couple’s dog. She reportedly called 911, and told the dispatcher there was a man and dog inside her home in the 1300 block of Nortoon with serious injuries that she had caused. When talking to investigators, Cortis told them that both Gregory Cortis and the dog were sick, and that she put them out of their misery.

December 15, 2015

Tip from Pizza Delivery Driver Leads Police to Door of Suspected Drug Dealer in Ohio

by Scott Grabel

Recently, a 20-year-old Mason, OH man was arrested after a pizza delivery driver from LaRosa’s Pizza provided the tip police needed to arrest the man for passing counterfeit $50 bills around town. When police arrived at the suspect’s doorstep, they found more than they bargained for.

According to a news report at WLWT5, the pizza delivery driver was given a $50 bill in payment for the pizza. When the note looked suspect to the driver, he drove straight back to the LaRosa’s location, where store officials called police. Police had been aware that fake $50 bills were used at various businesses in the area, and they had a surveillance video of the suspect at a Marathon gas station. When police found the pizza delivery was made to the same address where the suspect on the Marathon gas station video lived, they obtained a search warrant for the condo.

Upon searching the home of 20-year-old Devon Jicarr Cardwell, police found not only counterfeit $20 and $50 bills in the floor vents of one of the rooms, they also found marijuana packaged for sale and three guns. All of these items were in a single room within the condo; Cardwell was not allowed to own or possess firearms because he was a convicted felon. He was charged with drug trafficking, having weapons under disability, and forgery.

December 14, 2015

22-year-old Longwood Woman Arrested for DUI After Driving with 5-month-old Son, Crashing into Another Driver Head-on, More

by Scott Grabel

On Thursday December 10, a Longwood woman allegedly kicked a Florida Highway Patrol officer, sideswiped one vehicle and crashed head-on into another, and drove with her 5-month-old baby in the back seat of the vehicle, according to an article at the Orlando Sentinel. Troopers say 22-year-old Carlene Musselwhite was driving drunk when all of this occurred.

Following the two incidents with other vehicles, troopers found Musselwhite after a resident in the neighborhood she was in helped her out of her vehicle, and called 911. Upon their arrival, troopers found the baby in the back seat of the vehicle. They noticed that Musselwhite had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol, according to the arrest affidavit. Musselwhite did not deny she had been drinking, telling officers she had been at a work event; however she did say she was not impaired. She was put into handcuffs after failing two field sobriety tests.

Three troopers had to wrestle Musselwhite into the back of a patrol car after she refused to get in. Once in the vehicle, she reportedly kicked a window out of its frame. A sergeant arrived after the troopers removed her from the patrol car. Upon trying to put her into his own car, she allegedly kicked the sergeant.

December 11, 2015

Police in Search of Man Suspected of Entering East Lansing Apartment

by Scott Grabel

Yesterday it was announced that Meridian Township Police were in search of a man who entered an apartment at The Lodges Apartments located near MSU’s campus. According to WILX-TV, the man is believed to have walked into an unlocked apartment while the woman who lived there was taking a shower.

The incident occurred on Wednesday evening when the man entered the apartment and waited in the bedroom as the young woman showered. As he waited, the woman’s roommate came home; the suspect then ran off. Police are calling the man a “home invasion suspect,” and believe him to be a while male in his mid-twenties, about 5′ 10″ tall with a medium build and brown hair.

Lieutenant Greg Frenger said the police believe the man had been watching the woman and her apartment, and that he knew she would be alone when he entered. Frenger also believes the woman left the apartment door unlocked, a practice that is all too common in the apartment complex. A neighbor who lives across the hall from where the incident took place said that residents don’t always lock their doors, as many come in and out frequently. Frenger asked that residents be more cautious and aware, but particularly vigilant in locking their doors.

December 10, 2015

Iowa Court of Appeals Upholds Man’s Conviction for Vehicular Homicide

by Scott Grabel

In April of 2014, Dale Lee Varner of Davenport, IA was found guilty of vehicular homicide in an incident that occurred in September of 2012. At his May 2014 sentencing, Varner was given a 10-year sentence which was later suspended by a Scott County District Judge who instead gave Varner three years of probation.

Varner, who was 45 when the accident occurred, allegedly ran over Martin Eason, a 23-year-old man who Varner said made him worried about the safety of himself and his children when Eason ran out into the roadway and began waving his arms as Varner was dropping his children off at the babysitter’s.

According to a news report at Radio Iowa, Varner admitted he “hit the gas” in hopes that Eason would move out of the roadway. Eason didn’t move, and was run over and dragged by the car; he later died from his injuries. While there was a lesser charge on the table, involuntary manslaughter, the jury decided to convict Varner of vehicular homicide, a more serious charge.

December 8, 2015

Downsville Man Faces Drug Charges Following Traffic Stop

by Scott Grabel

Many people find themselves facing charges of drug possession or DUI following a routine traffic stop. This was the case recently when a Downsville, LA man was pulled over for a minor traffic violation on Louisiana 15 at Emerson Road, according to a news report at The News Star.

On Friday, 50-year-old Jimmy L. Hollis Jr. of Downsville was charged with simple possession of marijuana and possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute after a Union Parish sheriff’s patrol deputy said he detected the odor of burned marijuana coming from inside Hollis’s vehicle. The driver gave the deputy permission to search the pickup truck, which the deputy did.

According to Sheriff Dusty Gates, Hollis dropped a cigarette package and partially smoked joint (marijuana cigarette) to the ground while getting out of his vehicle. When the deputy picked up the cigarette package, two items believed to be crack cocaine rocks were found inside. Hollis told the deputy that he was delivering the crack to a friend after buying it in Monroe.

December 7, 2015

Man Charged with DUI in Connecticut Following Police Chase that Results in Rollover Accident

by Scott Grabel

On Saturday evening December 4, a man was arrested in Waterford following a police chase that led to a rollover accident. Dylon M. Goss, 22, of New London reportedly fled police after he was spotted driving in an erratic manner on Route 1 near Clark Lane. News reports state the incident occurred at about 10 p.m.

Goss allegedly accelerated when Waterford police pulled behind his vehicle in the area of Willetts Avenue. As the chase continued, the vehicle eventually rolled over onto its side. There were four passengers in the vehicle according to news articles, one of whom sustained minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital.

Dylon Goss has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, engaging an officer in pursuit, risk of injury to a minor, reckless endangerment, improper turn, operating without a license, and more. He is scheduled to appear in court on December 14th after posting a $500 bond.

December 4, 2015

Two Men Potentially Facing Armed Robbery Charges After Clerk Jots Down License Plate Number

by Scott Grabel

Recently, two men were arrested after they allegedly robbed a female clerk at the Country Store II in Geneva Township. According to a news report at Mlive.com, the woman was robbed at knifepoint on December 2. When the incident was over, she jotted down the license plate number of the suspects’ vehicle.

The robbery occurred at approximately 6 p.m. on Wednesday, when a man entered the store and demanded money from the 36-year-old clerk while wielding a knife. She was not harmed, but did give the man an undisclosed amount of cash before he left the store. She went out to the parking lot and wrote down the license plate of a car she thought was suspect.

After reporting the license plate number to police, officers from Midland and Coleman assisted in locating the two men who were involved, identified them, and arrested them. One of the suspects is a 37-year-old Mount Pleasant man, the other a 19-year-old Midland man. Police said the Bay County Sheriff’s Dept. assisted in arresting the Mount Pleasant man. Both were taken into custody; police have recommended they be charged with armed robbery.

December 3, 2015

Former Petoskey, MI Attorney Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Returns, Mail Fraud

by Scott Grabel

In a November 30 Dept. of Justice press release it was announced that former Petoskey attorney Michael Aho Kennedy, 67, had pleaded guilty to one count each of filing false tax returns and mail fraud in connection with an October 2015 indictment. U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr. was joined in the announcement by IRS Criminal Investigation, Special Agent in Charge Jarod J. Koopman.

According to his plea agreement, Kennedy became a trustee for a family friend and long-time client; as her trustee, he eventually defrauded the woman of $1 million by withdrawing money from investment accounts to pay her expenses, but withdrawing more than was needed. The excess money withdrawn from her accounts was transferred to his own law office’s business account, and used to pay Kennedy’s own business and personal expenses.

Eventually, the client’s investment account funds were exhausted, however she was not aware of it due to the fact Kennedy sent fraudulent monthly statements to her that indicated her account was earning interest and stable. At this point, another client who was elderly was defrauded of $114,000 by Kennedy in his efforts to continue paying the initial client’s expenses, and for his own benefit as well.