Michigan Criminal Lawyers Blog

September 4, 2015

23-year-old Woman Arrested for Violent Stabbing Death of Elderly Ypsilanti Man in March

On March 26th of this year, a 71-year-old Ypsilanti man was found dead in his home, apparently a victim of a stabbing. Now, a 23-year-old woman has been arrested in the stabbing according to a recent news article at Mlive.com.

Gary Schneider, the victim, was reportedly stabbed numerous times in the neck and head area after it is believed he and the suspect became involved in a violent discussion. Haleigh Maynard has been charged and arraigned on a single count of open murder in Schneider’s death. No details regarding the circumstances of the argument or the killing have been released.

The victim’s body was discovered in his home when a woman who lived in the area found Schneider’s wallet on a sidewalk and tried to return it. The door of his home was open, and vehicles in the driveway. When the woman received no response, she called police.

September 3, 2015

Saginaw Man Charged with DUI Crash that Killed Taxi Driver Faces Trial

by Scott Grabel

Recently it was announced that 29-year-old Jon M. Brown of Saginaw will go to trial in December on charges that he caused the death of a taxi driver and serious injury to another person in a crash on I-75 near East North Union Road in Monitor Township in May of this year. Brown was allegedly intoxicated when the accident occurred, and reportedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.105.

The victim who died, 54-year-old Barry E. Campbell, was driving his taxi along with a passenger whom he had picked up in Frankenmuth at the World Expo of Beer and was taking to Midland County. Brown, who was driving a Chevrolet Impala at the time, was allegedly driving in the wrong direction on I-75 when the two vehicles crashed head-on. Campbell’s passenger, Benjamin Martinson, was riding in the front passenger seat of the taxi when the crash occurred. Police reports state that upon arriving at the scene, deputies had a hard time finding Campbell because of the compressed damage to the passenger side of the vehicle.

While Campbell died from the injuries he sustained, Martinson suffered fractures to his pelvis and both legs, a ruptured bladder, collapsed right lung, and lacerations to his spleen and liver. Brown has been charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing serious injury, and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death. He remains in jail on a $250,000 bond.

September 1, 2015

Arizona Men Face Drug Charges Following Traffic Stop in Oklahoma

by Scott Grabel

On Saturday, August 22, two Arizona men were arrested by deputies with the Canadian County Sheriff’s Dept. in Oklahoma after being pulled over for driving erratically on Interstate 40.

56-year-old Rafael Luna of Glendale and 50-year-old Jose Lopez of Phoenix told the deputies they were on their way to Missouri for a graduation, that Luna’s son was graduating from U.S. Army basic training. Deputies became suspicious when the two men’s stories seemed inconsistent. They were ultimately arrested after detectives had a drug sniffing canine brought to the scene to sniff around the vehicle, and found black-tar heroin and cocaine in the trunk of the Mercedes Benz the suspects were traveling in.

According to NewsOn6.com, 1.2 pounds of black-tar heroin was found in the vehicle, along with 15 pounds of cocaine. The drugs were located under the spare tire after ‘Pickles’ (the dog) alerted to the trunk area. Both men were taken into custody immediately. Luna is a fourth-grade teacher, and admitted that his summer job was hauling drugs for extra money. Lopez told investigators he had recruited Luna, and that he had been recruited himself to haul drugs; he works as a mechanic.

August 31, 2015

Beloit Bicyclist Killed in Car Collision, Suspected Drunk Driver Arrested

by Scott Grabel

On Saturday August 29 at approximately 1:45 in the morning, a 43-year-old Beloit man, Mario Esquivel-Flores, died at an area hospital after becoming involved in a collision with a car on Milwaukee Road. At the time of news reports, an investigation into the man’s death was ongoing by the Rock County medical examiner and the City of Beloit Police Department. Esquivel-Flores died due to the serious injuries sustained in the accident.

A more recent news article at the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel claims that police have made an arrest in the case, and that a 29-year-old Clinton man whose vehicle collided with the bicycle was intoxicated at the time of the crash. Police arrested the man, whose name was not released, on suspicion of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. According to police, the man’s blood alcohol level was over the legal limit of .08 percent.

It is not clear whether the driver of the vehicle will face additional charges; Esquivel-Flores was allegedly riding his bicycle in the road without any lights when he was struck by the car.

August 28, 2015

Detroit Police Officer Charged in Drive-by Shooting at Assisted Living Facility

by Scott Grabel

On Tuesday, August 25, a Detroit Police Officer who had been suspended after being accused of a drive-by shooting at a Ray Township assisted-living home was sentenced to prison. Clifford E. Gullion now faces a minimum of three years in prison, and termination from the Detroit Police Dept. is underway, according to a news article at Mlive.com.

Gullion allegedly opened fire on the assisted-living facility located near 29 Mile and Romeo Plank in April using a .40-caliber gun. He had been on medical leave from the police department for several months at the time the incident occurred. No one was hit by the gunfire.

The motive for the shooting appeared to be a dispute Gullion’s wife had with the husband of a patient living at the home; his wife is an in-home caretaker.

August 26, 2015

Lakeside Home Searched, Two Women Arrested on Drug Charges

by Scott Grabel

On Tuesday, August 25, two Lakeside, CA women were arrested after authorities found marijuana, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and ammunition inside a home located on Wintercrest Drive, according to a CBS news report.

The drugs were seized when sheriff’s deputies from the Santee station served a search warrant at the residence. An undisclosed amount of cash was also found in the home, according to an article at The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The suspects, 52-year-old Kristina Duerksen and 53-year-old Robin Faulkner, were arrested at the scene and charged with sales of controlled substances, possession and sale of drugs and drug paraphernalia, maintaining a place for trafficking in controlled substances, manufacturing a controlled substance by chemical extraction, and being a felon in possession of ammunition. Duerksen and Faulkner were booked into Las Colinas Detention Facility.

August 25, 2015

Catholic Cardinal Charged with DUI While Visiting Big Island of Hawaii

by Scott Grabel

On Thursday, August 20, 79-year-old Cardinal William Joseph Levada of Menlo Park was charged with driving under the influence while vacationing on the Big Island of Hawaii with priest friends, according to a recent article at the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.

A police spokeswoman said that Levada was alone and was driving a Nissan Altima at the time he was pulled over for swerving while headed in a northbound direction on Queen Kaahumanu Highway. While news reports did not reveal Levada’s blood alcohol content, the threshold for legal intoxication in Hawaii is 0.08 percent, the same threshold as in many states in the U.S.

Levada said in a statement emailed to The Huffington Post that he regretted his error in judgment, and intended to cooperate fully with authorities. He was formerly the highest ranking American official in the Vatican.

August 24, 2015

Ypsilanti Man Faces Punishment After Filing False Tax Return with IRS

by Scott Grabel

Michigan white collar crimes attorneys know that even in situations where no violence is involved or harm done to others, crimes involving financial matters can result in serious punishment. Recently, 52-year-old Paul Joseph Waltner of Ypsilanti pleaded guilty to once count of filing a false tax return with the IRS.

On August 14, U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade and IRS Special Agent in Charge-Criminal Investigation Jarod J. Koopman announced in a press release that Waltner had pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen J. Murphy, III.

According to the release, Waltner failed to report his full wages and a bonus he earned for the year 2008 while working in the Kingdom of Bahrain at Unicom Investment Bank. He was employed at the bank from 2007 through March of 2011. While Waltner actually earned more than $246,000 and received a bonus of nearly $216,000 from UIB in 2008, the Form 1040 he filed with the IRS reported combined wages and bonuses of only $150,000. Waltner used the Foreign Earned Income Form 2555. By reporting approximately $310,000 less than he had actually received, the amount Waltner actually owed in taxes was understated by $101,998.

August 20, 2015

Police Arrest Suspect They Believe Responsible for 14 or More Arson Fires in Saginaw

by Scott Grabel

For months, someone has been setting fire to abandoned homes in Saginaw; now, police believe they have their man, although his name cannot be released pending his arraignment. News reports do indicate the suspect is 49 years old, and police along with residents are relieved to get the man police are calling a “serial arsonist” off the streets.

Following police interviews with the suspect, Michigan State Police Lt. David Kaiser said the man is responsible for at least 14 of the fires that have occurred in recent months. He also said that the interviews did not reveal why the man set the fires, and no motive can be determined.

How did police catch the suspect? According to Kaiser, police set up on various homes in Saginaw on Tuesday the 18th anticipating the man would return to the scene of the crimes. Police were in luck; the suspect did return to a house that had been set on fire in the past. He was holding a cup police believed was filled with accelerant. Police say he struck again, and police confronted the man as he was walking away from the scene. The suspect dropped the cup, and police took him into custody. Meanwhile, the home the suspect had returned to had a porch that was noticed to be in flames by other officers.

August 18, 2015

Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer Charged with Drug Distribution

by Scott Grabel

On Monday, August 17, 35-year-old Macon defense attorney Holly Hogue Edwards was charged with drug distribution. A news article at 11 Alive says that Edwards was arrested after being pulled over on Interstate 75 in Peach County, according to Monroe County investigator Greggory Phillips. Authorities pulled the criminal defense lawyer over to serve an arrest warrant charging her in the case involving distribution of oxycodone.

Edwards is charged with a single count of distribution of oxycodone and methamphetamine, and three counts of distribution of oxycodone. Oxycodone is a prescription narcotic pain medication that is highly abused and addictive.

A Monroe County Sheriff’s Office news release stated that Edwards sold drugs to undercover agents. The investigation of Edwards began in May when it was learned that she might be involved in illegal activities including the use and distribution of illegal drugs. The indictment revealed that the incidents Edwards is alleged of being involved in occurred in May and June.