Michigan Criminal Lawyers Blog

April 28, 2015

Minor Traffic Violation Leads to Drug Bust in Price, Utah Over Weekend

On Saturday, April 25, a routine traffic stop in Price, Utah for a minor traffic violation resulted in a drug bust and the arrests of three people, according to a news article at Fox 13. Police officers noticed drug paraphernalia in the back seat of the 2001 Pontiac Grand Am after pulling the vehicle over, which led to a search of the car.

Upon searching, authorities found several prescription drug pills, an ounce of heroin, five ounces of meth, more than $5,000 in cash, and a large folding knife.

There were four individuals in the vehicle at the time, three men and a woman, who has not been arrested. Those arrested include 39-year-old Jeremy Saccomanno of Spring Glen, 37-year-old Jeff Andrew Vigil of Price, and 41-year-old Christopher Gill of Helper, the driver of the vehicle.

April 27, 2015

Wisconsin Woman Arrested for Drunken Driving for a Fourth Time in Restaurant Drive-Through

by Scott Grabel

On Friday, April 24, a 37-year-old Milton woman was arrested on a charge of fourth-offense drunken driving while at a restaurant drive-through window, according to a recent article at the Gazette Extra. The woman, Sara A. Henning, drove through a drive-through at Taco Bell two times when an employee suspected she was under the influence of alcohol. Police received a tip at approximately 1 a.m., and responded to the scene.

Upon their arrival, officers found the woman in the Taco Bell drive-through area located at 1619 Milton Ave. They claimed to have smelled the odor of alcohol, and administered a breath test which revealed a BAC (blood alcohol concentration) of 0.27, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent. According to a news release, Hennings admitted to drinking before getting behind the wheel.

Henning was arrested on suspicion of fourth-offense drunken driving after refusing to submit to field sobriety tests. According to the article, she was not permitted to drive with a BAC of greater than 0.02, because of three prior convictions found for drunken driving more than five years ago after checking her driver’s license.

April 24, 2015

Barry Bonds’ Obstruction of Justice Conviction Overturned by San Francisco Appeals Court

by Scott Grabel

On Wednesday, April 22, Barry Bonds only conviction in a performance-enhancing drug case going back to 2003 was overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, according to a recent news article at the New York Times. Bonds was convicted of obstruction of justice in 2011 after he gave what was called a “rambling, non-responsive answer to a simple question” during a grand jury proceeding. The point in question was whether Bonds had used performance-enhancing drugs during his baseball career, an allegation that has been made against several athletes including Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, and Mark McGwire.

According to the article, Bonds was put at the center of baseball’s doping debate because of his involvement in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative scandal. While he never failed a performance-enhancing drug test for the use of steroids administered by Major League Baseball since the testing began in 2003, he was thought to be guilty by a large majority of the public. This public opinion was spurred mostly by books and news media reports that made “strong cases” that Bonds had used steroid drugs to enhance his performance on the field, although he has never admitted to it.

Ultimately, all efforts to link Bonds legally to the sports’ doping saga have failed. The opinion of the appeals court stated that “Because there is insufficient evidence that Statement C (the “rambling, non-responsive answer” mentioned above) was material, defendant’s conviction for obstruction of justice in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1503 is not supported by the record. Whatever section 1503’s scope may be in other circumstances, defendant’s conviction here must be reversed.”

April 22, 2015

Hockey Player Jarret Stoll Charged with Drug Possession at Vegas Resort

by Scott Grabel

On Friday, April 18, NHL star Jarret Stoll of the LA Kings was arrested and charged with drug possession at the swimming pool area of a Las Vegas resort, according to news reports at CNN. Stoll, who is 32 years old, was reportedly charged with possession of ecstasy, cocaine, or other controlled substances. Stoll was taken to the Clark County Detention Center, where he was later released on $5,000 bail.

An additional news article states the charges Stoll faces include possession of controlled substances including class 1, 2, 3, and 4 substances. A native of Melville, Canada, Stoll has played with the LA Kings since 2008. A spokesperson for the team said on Friday that the team was aware of the police reports, and that the organization had begun conducting an internal investigation out of concern. No further comments were made, as facts are continuing to be gathered by the Kings.

A more recent news report at CBS Sports revealed that at the time of his arrest at the Wet Republic pool at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Stoll had 8.1 grams of ecstasy and 3.3 grams of cocaine. The hockey star allegedly tried to hide the drugs while going through a security check point at the pool inside his board shorts. As of Monday, April 20, no criminal charges had been filed against Stoll by the Clark County district attorney. The LA Times reported that while a felony court return date of July 1 had been set, it had not been determined by the district attorney as to whether the case would go forward.

April 21, 2015

Top New Jersey Cop to Keep Job Following DUI Crash and Charges

by Scott Grabel

Recently, Lt. Edward Zadroga of the Millville, New Jersey Police Department was arrested for driving under the influence. Zadroga, a top ranking officer in charge at the station, was pulling out of a driveway at a popular sports bar when he sideswiped another vehicle. According to news reports, Zadroga was arrested by officers who were under his command. He was charged with reckless driving and DWI, however he will keep his job.

Mayor Michael Santiago appointed Zadroga to the temporary supervisory position in early April, and said that “We’re all human. We make mistakes.” Santiago says that Zadroga will keep his position for now, however some residents feel that the Millville police lieutenant should be held accountable for his actions, just as civilians would. Zadroga was arrested by officer Ralph Satero after he failed a field sobriety test on Sunday evening, April 19 following the crash. No one was injured.

According to a news article at The Daily Journal, two other Millville officers were charged with drunken driving in September of last year, after the Corvette they were driving left the roadway and crashed into a Catholic church on Carmel Road.

April 17, 2015

Domestic Assault Results in Criminal Charges for Bay City Man

by Scott Grabel

On Monday, April 13, Bay City police received a call from a woman claiming domestic assault. The woman was calling from a 7-Eleven store when police arrived at approximately 1:30 in the morning. The 19-year-old woman told police that she was attacked at a South End home by her boyfriend, 25-year-old Jeremiah J. Leffew.

According to a news article at Mlive.com, Leffew intimidated the victim with a pair of scissors and a frying pan; he now faces several criminal charges, including domestic violence, assault by strangulation, assault with a dangerous weapon, and interfering with an electronics communication device.

The alleged victim told police that an argument began after Leffew dumped a container of trash on the floor of the home. Leffew disputes the allegations, saying that the fracas began after his girlfriend struck him with an empty liquor bottle. Leffew claims that the victim is “crazy,” and that he did grab her wrists at one point during the argument to keep her from hitting him.

April 16, 2015

Man’s Conviction for Murder of Arlington Pastor Upheld by Appeals Court

by Scott Grabel

In October of 2012, Steven Lawayne Nelson was found guilty of killing Rev. Clint Dobson at North Pointe Baptist Church in Arlington in March of 2011. Nelson testified at trial in his own defense, and denied killing Dobson, saying that he was outside the church when two friends went inside and committed the murder. A church secretary was also badly beaten in the incident.

Judy Elliot, the brutally beaten secretary, had her 2007 Mitsubishi Galant stolen in the incident; a computer was also stolen from the church. Security camera footage captured the stolen vehicle on the afternoon of the crime. A witness told jurors in the case that he purchased Clint Dobson’s stolen computer unknowingly when he met Nelson at a tire shop in Arlington. Nelson was captured on video a short time later that same afternoon making a purchase at a convenience store, thought to be made using money from the sale of the computer. Nelson was ultimately found guilty of capital murder, and sentenced to death.

Yesterday it was announced that Nelson’s appeal of his conviction and death sentence had been denied by Texas’ top criminal appeals court. The court upheld Nelson’s conviction, rejecting the arguments brought forth by Nelson’s attorneys that the evidence to convict him was insufficient, that evidence involving text messages was improperly allowed, and that there were problems with both jury selection and instruction.

April 14, 2015

Attorneys and Their Pets: 2015 Edition

by Scott Grabel

Last weekend we celebrated National Pet Day, and there is no better time to feature the most-loved pets (AKA “children,” coworkers, friends, and confidants) of attorneys. Without further ado:

Clyde and Cleo (left) and Wiggles (AKA Wiggly Monster) (right) from Luke Ciciliano of SEO for Lawyers.

Chloe from Albert Krawczyk of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.

April 13, 2015

Nelly Arrested in Tennessee on Drug Charges

by Scott Grabel

On Saturday, April 11, famous rapper Nelly whose real name is Cornell Haynes was arrested on felony drug charges in Tennessee.

According to news reports at ABC News and Fox News, 40-year-old Nelly was riding in a coach bus that lacked the required U.S. Department of Transportation and International Fuel Tax Association sticker. The bus was pulled over by Tennessee Highway Patrol at approximately 9:20 in the morning. Nelly was arrested when a state trooper allegedly noticed the odor of marijuana after pulling the coach bus over.

Scott Rosenblum, Nelly’s attorney, said in a statement to ABC News that his client was one of several individuals who was on the tour bus and searched. He went on to say that during the search, troopers found a small amount of ecstasy or MDMA. Rosenblum said that he is confident Nelly will not be connected with the contraband that was allegedly discovered on the tour bus when the facts of the case are revealed.

April 10, 2015

Following 2nd DUI Arrest, Honolulu Deputy Prosecutor Resigns

by Scott Grabel

Recently, Jon Riki Karamatsu resigned his position as deputy prosecutor after he was arrested for DUI for the second time. Karamatsu was arrested for driving under the influence in 2007 after he slammed into a concrete median on the Moanalua Freeway. At that time, he was serving as a state representative for the 41st District, according to news sources.

In the most recent incident which occurred at approximately 1:30 a.m. on April 4, Karamatsu was arrested after being stopped at a DUI checkpoint. At the time of news reports, it was not clear whether Karamatsu was under the influence of alcohol or something else, however he refused a blood alcohol or breathalyzer test. Karamatsu resigned as deputy prosecutor saying that he did not want his DUI case to distract from the work of the Honolulu City Prosecuting Attorney’s office.

In Hawaii, a second DUI offense outside of five years of the first offense is considered another first offense. Ultimately Karamatsu will be subject to the same penalties as a first-time DUI offender, which include a fine, community service, possible jail time, and attendance of an alcohol class. Additionally, Karamatsu’s drivers license was revoked for two years.