Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Ohio executes crime-rampage killer linked to Livonia murder


Columbus, Ohio — Ohio on Wednesday executed a man who fatally shot an adult bookstore security guard in 1994 at the end of a multistate crime rampage as witnesses of a second slaying victim of that rampage looked on intently.

Frederick Treesh received a single powerful dose of pentobarbital and was pronounced dead at 10:37 a.m. by Donald Morgan, warden of the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville.

Treesh was sentenced to die for killing Henry Dupree in Eastlake east of Cleveland on Aug. 27, 1994. He and a co-defendant were suspects in the shooting death three days earlier of Ghassan Danno, a Livonia, Mich., video store co-owner.

"This is where drugs lead you," Treesh, a former cocaine addict, said in a last statement.

He also apologized for the death of Dupree, but said he wouldn't say he was sorry to family members of Danno, who sat a few feet away watching through a window. Treesh said he'd never been charged or tried in that slaying.

After a few more comments Treesh said, "If you want me murdered, just say it."

Treesh, of Waterloo, Ind., was the 50th inmate put to death by the state since it resumed executions in 1999.

By Andrew Welsh-Huggins
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Ex-postal worker charged in gift card thefts


A former postal worker in Romeo is accused of stealing and using gift cards from customers on her delivery route over the holidays, postal investigators said.

The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General began investigating Cynthia Winters after customers complained of missing gift cards, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court. She is charged with theft of mail by a postal employee.

One man called the mail theft complaint hotline to report two $100 gift cards mailed Dec. 19 from his father's Ray Township home never reached the relative they were intended for. One from Target was redeemed four days later at a Shelby Township location.

By Mark Hicks
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Murder or self-defense? Opposing pictures emerge grandmother's slaying trial


Pontiac — The trial of a 75-year-old West Bloomfield Township woman charged in the slaying of her teenage grandson opened Tuesday with dramatic recounting of his final minutes and the terror to which he allegedly subjected his grandmother for months.

But there was no disputing Sandra Layne, a retired school teacher charged with open murder in the May 2012 slaying of Jonathan Hoffman, 17, fired the fatal shots. Defense attorney Jerome Sabbota told jurors they will hear Layne testify what led to the shooting.

"She is no murderer … he was a troubled teen and she was in fear for her life," said Sabbota, who ticked off events that transformed his client into an accused killer.

"She was afraid because she had seen him tied up in the hospital," said Sabbota of one drug arrest and added Jonathan had also previously attacked his mother, Layne's daughter, during an argument police had to break up.

Then there was his escalating use of drugs: marijuana, mushrooms and K2 or Spice, a synthetic drug that had been linked to an April 2012 case involving another teen accused of attacking family members and beating his father to death with a baseball bat.

By Mike Martindale
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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Final minutes of teen's life described in trial of West Bloomfield grandmother

Pontiac — The trial of a 75-year-old West Bloomfield Township woman charged in the fatal shooting of her teenage grandson opened with jurors hearing dramatic descriptions of the final minutes of the victim's life from the prosecution and the terror to which he subjected his grandmother from the defense.

Sandra Layne has been jailed for nine months without bond awaiting trial in Oakland County Circuit Court on a charge of open murder in the May 2012 slaying of Jonathan Hoffman, 17, who suffered five gunshot wounds from a handgun purchased by Layne. Her attorney, Jerome Sabbota, contends Layne armed herself out of fear and the fatal shots were fired during a struggle for the gun. The struggle was recorded during a 911 call from Hoffman.

The pale, diminutive Layne bowed her head as Paul Walton, chief assistant Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney recalled Hoffman's last words for jurors.

By Mike Martindale
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'I still got to fight out here': former Tuskegee Airman recounts carjacking

Former Tuskegee Airman recounts daytime carjacking in Detroit; 4 teens charged

Detroit — As he stared down the barrel of a nickel-plated pistol wielded by a teenage gunman demanding the keys to his Jeep, Jesse Rutledge said an odd thought entered his mind:

"I'm thinking, 'This kid is so little; how's he going to see over the steering wheel?'" said the 88-year-old former Tuskegee Airman, who flew missions in World War II.

That initial thought was replaced by fear, said Rutledge, who was carjacked by four youths as he left a barber shop near Harper and Van Dyke about 4 p.m. Saturday.

"Yeah, I was scared," said Rutledge, a former gunner on a B-25 bomber, shaking his head. "I'm 80-something years old and I still got to fight out here."

Police arrested the alleged robbers — ages 13, 14, 15 and 16 — the next day.

By George Hunter
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Support, tips offered after Clinton Township boy's death

No arrests in hit and run; witnesses say red pickup hit Christopher Sandoval

A driver who fatally struck a 10-year-old boy on Detroit's east side Sunday then fled has not yet been found, and the youth's family is seeking answers as well as help for a funeral.

As of Monday night, the Detroit Police Department said no arrests were made in the death of Christopher Sandoval, who was hit in front of his home in the 16000 block of Bringard while taking trash to the curb.

Neighbors who saw the driver of the pickup — described as a red Dodge Ram from the early 2000s, possibly with a snow plow in the front and snow blowers in the back — continue to share tips with the Sandoval family.

They claim the man might have been spotted in the area before, said Lisa Sandoval, Christopher's mother.

By Mark Hicks
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Friday, February 15, 2013

Judge calls Royal Oak slaying most brutal murder case she's seen

Pontiac — A couple were sentenced Friday for the November 2011 slaying of an elderly Royal Oak woman during a home invasion.

Alan C. Wood and Tonia Watson were both charged in the brutal killing in which Nancy Dailey, 80, was beaten, kicked and stabbed to death, her throat slit during the attack. The pair were homeless and desperate for money to buy drugs, investigators said.

Wood, 49, who was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder in the killing, was sentenced to mandatory life in prison with no chance of parole. During the proceeding, he complained his rights had been violated, interrupted the judge, and winked at a reporter taking his photograph as he left the courtroom.

Under a plea agreement, Watson, 41, cooperated with authorities in exchange for pleading guilty to a lesser offense of second-degree murder and reduced sentence. Wood did the actual killing, she said. Under the plea, Watson was to be sentenced to a minimum of 23 years in prison and could be eligible for parole in 2035.

By Mike Martindale
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Ex-Wayne aide case goes to jury

IT staffer obstructed truth, feds say in closing statements

Detroit — It's now up to a jury to decide the fate of a former Wayne County appointee accused of conspiracy and obstruction of justice stemming from a federal corruption investigation.

The jury of seven men and five women went into deliberations Thursday afternoon in the case against Zayd Allebban, 34.

U.S. District Attorney Sheldon Light said in his closing arguments that the case against Allebban comes down to a "simple truth." Allebban, he said, sought to obstruct a federal investigation as he worked with his former boss and mentor Tahir Kazmi to conceal that Kazmi had received tens of thousands of dollars in cash and goods from a county vendor.

"Mr. Allebban and Mr. Kazmi knew that if the FBI knew the simple truth — that money changed hands and trips were paid for — the FBI would dig further," Light said. "And there would be trouble — big trouble — for Mr. Kazmi."

By Steve Pardo
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Two Detroit teens arraigned on drug, resisting arrest charges

Two Detroit teens face drug-related and resisting arrest charges this week after a police encounter at a bus stop, Ferndale police said.

A Ferndale officer was flagged down about 10 a.m. Tuesday by a woman inside the bus stop near Eight Mile and Livernois, according to police.

The officer approached Rondale Byrd and Bria White, both 18, police said in a statement. The officer called for White to stop but she refused and walked away, police said.

While arresting Byrd, the officer tried to check in his backpack. But Byrd turned and ran, police said.

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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Highland Twp. man gets 20-60 years for mother's slaying

Dad backs Highland Twp. man's denial he beat, stabbed ill mom

Pontiac — A onetime Christian high school honor student was sentenced Tuesday to 20-60 years in prison for beating and stabbing his mentally ill mother to death.

Jeffrey B. Pyne, 22, of Highland Township received the prison term for second-degree murder from Judge Leo Bowman in Oakland County Circuit Court.

Pyne was convicted last month of killing Ruth Pyne, 51. Her bloody, battered body was found May 27, 2011, in the garage of her Highland Township home by her 10-year-old daughter.

By Mike Martindale
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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Hathaway expected to plead guilty to bank fraud charge

Lansing — Former Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway is to get her day in court today.

After 20 years on the Wayne County and Supreme Court benches, Hathaway is scheduled to stand before a federal judge at 10:30 a.m. in Ann Arbor and is expected to plead guilty to a felony bank fraud charge.

Hathaway is accused of concealing assets and transferring homes to stepchildren in a scheme to get mortgage lender ING Direct to forgive $600,000 owed on a $1.5 million Grosse Pointe Park home and unload the lakefront property on a November 2011 short sale.

After the hearing, U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade is planning a 2 p.m. press conference in Detroit to discuss the case. State Attorney General Bill Schuette is expected to attend.

Hathaway, a 58-year-old mother of five, faces up to 33 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines for bank fraud, though her criminal defense attorney, Steve Fishman, will likely argue her actions did not harm the bank's bottom line.

By Chad Livengood
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Police, FBI seek tips in Oakland County armed bank robberies

Police and the FBI are seeking tips to find a person they believe is a serial armed robber who has hit four banks in Oakland County.

The most recent robbery was reported at the Charter One Bank in the 27000 block of Woodward in Berkley on Monday, said officials with the FBI Detroit Division.

The suspect is believed to have robbed other banks in Royal Oak and Madison Heights recently:

Dec. 20, 2012: PNC Bank, 28841 John R, Madison Heights

Dec. 26, 2012: PNC Bank, 225 S. Main, Royal Oak

Jan. 15: Charter One Bank, 200 S. Main, Royal Oak

Jan. 28: Charter One Bank, 27897 Woodward, Berkley.

Authorities believe the man also was involved in the Dec. 18 armed robbery of a 7-Eleven at 815 W. 11 Mile in Madison Heights.

The suspect is described as a male between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet tall with a medium build. He wore tight, black pants; a black coat; black gloves; a black ski mask; and a hat with a small brim, and carried a bag and threatened customers and employees with a small, black handgun.

Anyone with information is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

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Manhunt under way for Wayne County Jail escapee

Detroit — A manhunt continues for a federal prisoner believed to have changed his identity, allowing him to walk out of Wayne County Jail.

Rocky Marquez, 34, strolled out of the jail on Jan. 20 by switching ID bracelets with an inmate who matched his description and was to be released on bond that day, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Marquez was not discovered missing for five days.

U.S. Marshal David Gonzalez, who heads the District of Arizona, said Marquez pulled the same stunt in Maricopa County Jail in Phoenix in May.

"We're surmising at this point that he offered up some kind of financial gain or used threats to switch IDs with a fellow inmate," Gonzalez said.

Marquez had been awaiting extradition back to Arizona to face charges including drug smuggling, perjury and intimidating a witness.

"Marquez should be considered armed and dangerous," a press release from the U.S. Marshals Service said. "He has ties to Mexico, Arizona, Michigan, Florida and California."

Call the U.S. Marshals Service at (800) 336-0102.

By Tony Briscoe
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Arrest made in slaying of Eastpointe businesswoman

Police don't say whether victim's husband detained

Eastpointe — Police arrested a suspect in connection with the slaying of a 33-year-old businesswoman whose body was found Saturday inside her home.

"A suspect is in custody, and the investigation is ongoing," according to Eastpointe police.

On Sunday, police officials said they were seeking Anthony Webster, the husband of the victim, Christina Lazzana Webster, as a person of interest. Lt. Dave Ernatt, head of the department's Detective Bureau, said Monday he couldn't confirm the identity of the suspect who was being held.

By George Hunter and Mark Hicks
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Prosecution paints case against Ferguson using piles of cash

Detroit — As they swooped in on contractor Bobby Ferguson during 2009 and 2010 raids, federal agents found more than $2.3million stuffed in safes and lockboxes, according to testimony Monday in the City Hall corruption case.

The money, including $543,500 in cash, played a starring role Monday as prosecutors showed pictures of cash, checks and certificates of deposit. One lockbox was so stuffed with stacks totaling $275,000 that it could barely close, an agent said.

Prosecutors have argued former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick conspired to steer contracts to Ferguson, whose companies got more than $80 million in city contracts while Kilpatrick was mayor. In turn, they've argued Ferguson gave cash to the mayor.

By Mike Wilkinson and Robert Snell
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Kwame Kilpatrick leaves prison after weekend stay

Detroit — Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been released after spending the weekend in prison for violating parole in a 2008 conviction that booted him from office.

Kilpatrick left a Michigan Corrections Department facility in Detroit Monday morning. He had been locked up there since Friday afternoon.

He's expected to return Monday to federal court where he's on trial in a separate matter.

The Michigan Corrections Department says Kilpatrick violated parole by not disclosing all financial transactions last fall. He still owes Detroit $855,000 in restitution and must report details about his income and expenses.

Kilpatrick was convicted of obstruction of justice in 2008 in a scandal involving text messages and an affair with a top aide. He's been on trial on corruption charges since September.

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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Former Michigan Supreme Court justice expected to plead guilty

Lansing — Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway will find herself on the other side of the bench on Tuesday when she's likely to plead guilty to bank fraud charges related to questionable real estate transactions, legal experts say.

Hathaway, who resigned from the high court Monday, will appear at 10:30 a.m. in U.S. District Judge John Corbett O'Meara's Ann Arbor courtroom, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit.

Legal experts predict Hathaway likely will plead guilty to the fraud charge because it was filed as a criminal "information," meaning the defendant has cut a deal with prosecutors before being arraigned.

"When an information is filed, it would suggest a person has waived an indictment before the grand jury and is proceeding with a plea," said former federal prosecutor Alan Gershel, a professor at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Auburn Hills.

By Chad Livengood
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Monday, January 21, 2013

Supreme Court Justice Hathaway expected to plead guilty to bank fraud

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway is resigning Monday, months after a series of questionable real estate transactions first were revealed by a Detroit TV station.
Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway is resigning Monday, months after a series of questionable real estate transactions first were revealed by a Detroit TV station. (Courtesy WXYZ-TV)

Detroit — Federal prosecutors have charged Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway with bank fraud, just a few days before she leaves the state's highest court in a scandal involving the sale of a Detroit-area home and suspicious steps taken to conceal property in Florida.

The charge was filed Friday as a criminal "information," which means a guilty plea is expected in federal court. Hathaway's defense attorney, Steve Fishman, declined to comment Saturday, and the justice did not return a phone message seeking comment.

Hathaway is resigning Monday, months after a series of questionable real estate transactions first were revealed by a Detroit TV station. Hathaway and her husband, attorney Michael Kingsley, deeded a Florida home to Kingsley's daughter while trying to negotiate a short sale on a $1.5 million lakefront home they couldn't afford in Grosse Pointe Park.

By Chad Livengood
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Authorities charge Warren man in 3 rapes, robberies

GDetroit — A 31-year-old Warren man accused of sexually assaulting and robbing three women in Detroit since September is being held on a $2 million bond.

Gabreil Cooper of Warren was arraigned Friday in Detroit district court on numerous charges and faces a preliminary examination has been scheduled on Jan. 29.

Authorities accuse Cooper of raping and robbing a woman who was walking down a street on Sept. 26 and another woman shoveling snow on Dec. 29. Wayne County prosecutors also say he assaulted and robbed a woman Jan. 14 who invited him to her house after they met online.

The Associated Press left a message late Friday afternoon for defense attorney Mark Magidson.

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Friday, January 18, 2013

Exec calls Bernard Kilpatrick 'greedy'


Millions demanded for no work in sludge deal, businessman testifies

Detroit — Bernard Kilpatrick stood to make millions of dollars in a controversial sludge deal, but threatened to "blow up the house" and kill the project unless he got more, a businessman testified Thursday.

In return, Kilpatrick would do nothing — except be the mayor's father, former Synagro Technologies executive James R. Rosendall told federal jurors.

"Everybody was being greedy and it was unreasonable," said Rosendall, who served 11 months in prison after pleading guilty to bribery conspiracy and cooperating with federal investigators.

The testimony, buttressed by secret audio and video recordings, put Bernard Kilpatrick under the brightest spotlight yet since the federal public corruption trial began in September.

By Mike Wilkinson
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Man faces life sentence in slaying of Royal Oak woman, 80


Pontiac — A jury on Thursday found a parole absconder guilty of first-degree premeditated murder in the killing of an elderly Royal Oak woman.

Alan C. Wood, 49, was charged in the Nov. 20, 2011, slaying of 80-year old Nancy Dailey. He also was convicted of felony murder, larceny in a building and two counts related to using Dailey's stolen ATM and credit cards.

Wood faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. He will be sentenced Feb. 15.

His lover and accused accomplice, Tonia Watson, will serve at least 23 years in prison under a plea deal in which she agreed to testify against Wood. She will be sentenced Feb. 5.

By Lauren Abdel-Razzaq
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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Detroit woman accused of killing daughter to get competency evaluation


Detroit — A Detroit mother of five accused of stabbing her daughter to death will undergo a mental evaluation to determine whether she's competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Judge Michael E. Wagner of 36th District Court on Wednesday ordered a competency evaluation for Semaria Greene.

The 26-year-old woman faces mandatory life in prison if she's convicted of felony murder and child abuse in the Dec. 30 killing of Tameria Greene, 8.

By Christine Ferretti
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Woman with Macomb circuit judge, his kids, in car charged with OWI


A report of suspected child abuse, neglect or endangerment has been filed with a state agency after a woman was charged with driving drunk with a Macomb County judge and his two children in her car, police said.

Judge Richard Caretti has not been charged in the Saturday night incident, but his companion, Brenda Conway, 50, of Troy, was arraigned Tuesday in 46th District Court in Southfield on one count of operating while intoxicated with occupants under age 16, said Detective Lt. William Castro of the Franklin-Bingham Farms Police Department.

Conway's next court date is Jan. 28.

The suspected neglect report was filed with the state Department of Human Services, and child protective services workers interviewed Caretti's children, ages 15 and 12, Castro said.

Caretti was a passenger in the 2011 Volkswagen SUV that Brenda Conway was driving from a wedding reception in Macomb County on Saturday night to drop off his daughters at their mother's Franklin home, said Lori Conway, his ex-wife.

By Mark Hicks
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Redford broker charged in mortgage fraud


Redford Township — A Redford Township real estate broker was arraigned Wednesday on charges tied to an extensive mortgage fraud scheme.

Samer Salami, 32, of Canton Township, faces 12 counts in the case involving multiple Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac properties in nine Wayne County communities.

County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said during a news conference Wednesday that Salami is alleged to have run the $488,000 operation from August 2007 to April 2010 while employed at Villa Realty in Redford Township. The "breakthrough" case is the first in the nation in which there has been a state prosecution of a criminal enterprise involving the mortgage giants, Worthy said.


By Christine Ferretti
The Detroit News

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Monday, January 14, 2013

Woman reportedly driving drunk on a suspended license hits patrol car

Pontiac — Southeastern Michigan authorities say a woman driving drunk, with a suspended license and an 8-year-old child aboard crashed her vehicle into a parked police car.

The Oakland County sheriff's department says in a news release that a deputy had parked his car in Pontiac about 1 a.m. Saturday when he "heard a vehicle accelerating at a high rate of speed and then heard a crash."

The department says the 28-year-old Pontiac woman and the child weren't injured. It says the woman was arrested for drunken driving, driving on a suspended license and child endangerment.

The release says the woman was taken to the Oakland County jail.

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Pittsfield Township man charged with killing wife at home

Pittsfield Township — A former Eastern Michigan University math lecturer was arraigned Sunday with one count of murder in connection with the death of his wife, police said.

Jean Pierre Trias, 44, was arrested on Friday after police responded to someone calling for a welfare check in the 4700 block of Hickory Pointe Boulevard, according to the Pittsfield Township Department of Public Safety.

When they arrived, police found his wife, Katherine Kellogg Porter, 53, dead inside the home.

Matt Harshberger, director of public safety, declined to reveal the manner in which Kellogg Porter died. But he said that Trias was at the home when police arrived.

"There were clear indicators and evidence from a comment he made and our observations that caused us to take him into custody for what was clear to us was a homicide," Harshberger said.

Harshberger was unaware whether there was a history of domestic violence between the couple.

By Kim Kozlowski
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Prison officials want to know who wired ex-Detroit mayor Kilpatrick $4K

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick could be in more trouble with Michigan parole officials after admitting he's received almost $4,000 in wire transfers that he had not previously disclosed, a state corrections spokesman said Friday.

Michigan prison officials are demanding that Kilpatrick identify who gave him the money, said spokesman Russ Marlan.

The money is in addition to the $2,000 wire transfer that prompted state officials to begin their probe. It led parole officials Thursday to slap an electronic tether on Kilpatrick and order him confined to his mother's Detroit home. He's also banned from traveling to Texas, where his family now lives.

By Robert Snell
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Friday, January 11, 2013

x-Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick to wear tether for failing to disclose $2K gift

Detroit — Kwame Kilpatrick was fitted with a GPS tether Thursday, barred from traveling to see his family in Texas and placed on home confinement — punishment for failing to disclose a $2,000 gift from a Chicago pastor.

The state is continuing to investigate and could send the former Detroit mayor to prison for two years if officials conclude he violated parole or received additional cash gifts. State and Wayne County officials are concerned Kilpatrick is hiding assets that could be applied toward the $855,000 restitution the former Detroit mayor owes the city.

By Robert Snell and Mike Wilkinson
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Heroin worth $400K found in passenger's luggage at Detroit Metro


Romulus — An alert customs agent at Detroit Metropolitan Airport discovered nearly four pounds of heroin in the belongings of a passenger who had just arrived from the Netherlands on Tuesday, authorities said.

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, the narcotic was found in the luggage of a Ghanaian citizen who flew in from the Netherlands.

The heroin weighed 1.8 kilograms and had a street value of $400,000, officials said.

"The relentless efforts and dedication of frontline CBP employees has resulted in the interdiction of these illicit drugs, preventing them from reaching the streets and doing harm," said Devin Chamberlain, CBP port director.

The alleged smuggler was arrested, turned over to U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agents and will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's office.

By Tom Greenwood
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Macomb County judge frightened by support for teacher in sex case

Mount Clemens — A Macomb County judge is surprised by letters of support for a teacher who had sex with a student.

Christopher Skebo was sentenced to at least five years in prison Thursday. He was accused of having sex last year with a 17-year-old student and sending explicit photos and video to more teens.

Skebo pleaded no contest to third-degree criminal sexual conduct and other crimes. He was a substitute music teacher at Stephenson High School in Sterling Heights and Tower High School in Warren.

Judge Mary Chrzanowski received 16 letters from supporters. She says it's "frightening" to see that people think the teacher is a good guy. The judge says Skebo has "awful, deviant tendencies."

Defense attorney Richard Marcil tells the Macomb Daily that he had expected a shorter sentence.

Skebo, a composer who plays several instruments, had been a notable musician who studied at Wayne State University. In 2011 and 2012, he was nominated for the Detroit Music Awards as Outstanding Classical Composer.

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Thursday, January 10, 2013

4-month-old baby found dead in Detroit; man arrested after cop fight

The house in the 13200 block of East State Fair in Detroit where a 4-month-old was found dead Wednesday. (Clarence Tabb Jr. / The Detroit News)

Detroit — Police found the body of a 4-month-old baby boy at an east side home Wednesday, and a man was taken into custody after fighting with officers at the scene.

Three officers were treated for minor injuries after the altercation, which occurred when they were called to the 13200 block of East State Fair about 2:45 p.m. to investigate a report of an unresponsive child, said Detroit Police Sgt. Eren Stephens.

Stephens did not immediately know whether the man was related to the baby, though relatives at the scene identified him as the child's father.

By Serena Maria Daniels
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Man suspected of killing Detroit cab driver to be arraigned today

Detroit — A 39-year-old Detroit man, who has been charged with multiple life felonies on allegations he carjacked and fatally shot a cab driver and wounded a passenger last week, will be arraigned Thursday afternoon.

William M. Heard is expected to be arraigned at 1 p.m. in 36th District Court on charges of open murder, assault with intent to murder, armed robbery, carjacking and felony firearm in the Jan. 3 incident.

Authorities say cab driver Tyrone Hitchcock, 48, of Detroit, was killed in front of a home in the 19300 block of Sunderland around 4:30 a.m. Jan. 3, in the area near Cambridge Road, north of Seven Mile.

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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Former Kilpatrick aide: Ferguson was favored


Detroit — Kwame Kilpatrick was so focused on helping contractor Bobby Ferguson that even his own sister got mad, claiming the onetime Detroit mayor was blocking others from getting work.

"Here we go with this Bobby bull again," Ayanna Kilpatrick wrote in a 2004 text message to former mayoral aide Derrick Miller. "Can we make a $ too?"

She was upset, Kilpatrick's former top aide, Derrick Miller, testified Tuesday, because some of her business consulting clients had repeatedly found themselves on the outside if Ferguson wanted in.

Miller, in his second day on the stand, said several contractors complained about Ferguson's success at getting city work. Some complained directly to Miller; some sought the help of others, including Ayanna Kilpatrick.


By Mike Wilkinson and Robert Snell
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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

High school drama in Kilpatrick courtroom


At the federal trial of disgraced former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, every day in court is a mini high school reunion.

Once you get past the shock of all those illicit C-notes stuffed in bags and bras, you realize the Kilpatrick and Friends trial is in part the story of a group of friends emotionally stuck in the social strivings of their Cass Tech high school days together.

Their grown-up world is one where everyone has a nickname (Derrick Miller is "Zeke," Bobby Ferguson's wife is "Cookie," Bobby is "Bro" and Kwame is "Black") and meets in their secret clubhouse — an ante room adjacent to the mayor's office decorated with a barber chair. "Zeke" Miller called it "The Barber Room."

On Monday, testifying in his steel-framed glasses and suit and tie, Miller looks his own part: A bright young man whose career flowered only when he fell back into the Kilpatrick orbit — first as an aide to then U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, then as part of the Kwame brain trust.

Laura Berman
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Michigan State vet school educator charged with animal neglect



St. Johns — An assistant professor at Michigan State University's veterinary school is charged with animal neglect after authorities reported finding 17 dogs and two cats in poor condition at her home.

The Lansing State Journal reports 55-year-old Patricia Schenck was charged with a felony last month in Clinton County District Court. A preliminary hearing to determine whether there's enough evidence for trial is planned Thursday.

By Associated Press
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Friday, January 4, 2013

Detroit police: Man offered to help couple before assault


Detroit — Police are searching for a man who allegedly offered to help a man and woman with a stalled vehicle before sexually assaulting the female.

According to Sgt. Eren Stephens, the attack occurred Jan. 1 on the city's east side, at Findlay and Dresden streets, in an area located north of Gratiot Avenue and between East McNichols Road and Gunston Street.

By Tom Greenwood
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Day 48: Bulging jeans, bank accounts, racial slurs


Jurors watched video Friday of an FBI agent smuggling $90,000 through airport security in a test aimed at combating defense claims about a Kilpatrick bagman.

The video was a highlight of testimony Friday, which also featured racially charged text messages sent between contractor  Bobby Ferguson and his co-defendant in the City Hall corruption trial, ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Also Friday, an IRS agent detailed the autopsy she performed on Bernard Kilpatrick’s finances in conjunction with the City Hall corruption probe.

Kwame Kilpatrick and Bobby Ferguson outside federal court.
Bobby Ferguson used racial terms to complain about a white-owned construction company that he later allegedly extorted $5 million from, according to text messages shown to jurors Friday.


BY ROBERT SNELL

Fired State Trooper Accused of Faking DUI Arrests


By JOHN SCHRIFFEN | Good Morning America – 16 hours ago

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against a former Utah Highway Patrol trooper and her superiors alleging that she filed false DUI charges during her career.

Read the story and watch the video here

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Mom charged in Detroit girl's death


State agency made visits to home over abuse concerns

Detroit — State officials are investigating the case of a young girl who was allowed to live with a mother who was repeatedly accused of abuse and neglect before being charged with her murder.

Semeria Greene, 26, on Wednesday was charged with murdering her daughter, Tameria, who would have turned 9 that day. She died Sunday after being stabbed in the chest at their Detroit apartment, a home caseworkers visited throughout the year, including just days before her death.

Their efforts to remove Tameria and her four siblings had been denied repeatedly since 2010, despite allegations that Semeria Greene allowed them to live in squalor, worked as a prostitute and gave birth to a son three years ago who tested positive for marijuana, records show.

By George Hunter
From The Detroit News:

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I-96 shootings suspect awaits exam results


Novi — A forensic examination of a Wixom man suspected in a series of roadway shootings near Interstate 96 was adjourned Wednesday until Jan. 30 because court-ordered mental evaluations have not been completed, attorneys told a judge.

Raulie Wayne Casteel, 43, was arraigned last week on charges of domestic terrorism and assault with intent to murder in a Livingston County incident. Casteel, jailed in lieu of a $2 million bond, also faces 60 Oakland County counts — including assault with intent to murder and firearms-related charges.

In November, Novi District Judge Brian MacKenzie ordered mental examinations for Casteel at the state forensic center in Ypsilanti. The tests are to determine if Casteel is mentally competent to aid in his defense and understands the charges stemming from more than two dozen apparently random incidents in October in Oakland, Livingston, Shiawassee and Ingham counties. One motorist was injured in the gunfire.

By Mike Martindale
From The Detroit News:

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Mid-Michigan pastor declared competent to stand trial


Mount Pleasant — A mid-Michigan pastor charged with killing a young woman in her trailer has been declared competent to stand trial.

MLive.com reports that the determination involving 55-year-old John D. White was made Wednesday by Isabella County Judge William T. Ervin following a psychiatric exam.

A prosecutor plans to meet next week with defense lawyer Gordon Bloem to schedule when White will face a hearing to determine whether the case goes to trial.

White is an ex-convict who settled outside Mount Pleasant and became pastor of a tiny church, Christ Community Fellowship. Police say he confessed to killing 24-year-old Rebekah Gay as part of a sexual fantasy.

She was bludgeoned and strangled on Oct. 31, and her nude body was dumped in the woods.


From The Detroit News:

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Six arrested after attempted ATM theft in Warren


Warren — Six men were arrested Thursday morning after authorities say the group attempted to steal an ATM and led police on an early morning chase that ended in Detroit.

The incident began at about 4:45 a.m. Thursday at a CVS Pharmacy at Nine Mile and Schoenherr Road in Warren, according to Warren Lt. Stephen Coligio.

By Tom Greenwood
From The Detroit News:

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