Michigan Criminal Lawyers Blog

May 29, 2015

Detroit Woman Pleads Guilty to Second-Degree Murder While Mentally Ill in Killing of Friend with Slow Cooker

In October of last year, 51-year-old Tewanna Sullivan and 66-year-old Cheryl Livy became involved in an argument over presidential politics. In the end, Sullivan allegedly killed Livy using a slow cooker; she allegedly had a blood alcohol level of .41, according to a news article at Mlive.com. This level is more than five times the legal driving limit of .08 percent in Michigan.

The incident occurred in a HUD housing high-rise in Livonia. The two women were close friends, according to Sullivan’s godfather, Marvin Jones who said the two women were “tight.” Sullivan’s attorney said that his client suffered mental issues which are possibly related to surgeries she had undergone in 2009 for a brain aneurysm. Sullivan was initially charged with first-degree premeditated murder, however the prosecutor’s office agreed to dismiss the charge in exchange for Sullivan’s guilty plea. Had Sullivan gone to trial on first-degree premeditated murder charges and been convicted, she would have faced automatic life in prison.

A news article at Click on Detroit stated that Sullivan struck Livy in the head repeatedly with the slow cooker until the victim became unconscious. She was transported to the hospital and pronounced brain dead when her family decided to take her off life support.

May 27, 2015

Grosse Pointe Woods Woman Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Returns, Sentenced to 21 Months in Federal Prison

by Scott Grabel

Approximately one week ago, it was announced in a press release by U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade that a Grosse Pointe Woods woman had been sentenced for filing false tax returns with the IRS. Jarod J. Koopman, Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division joined McQuade in the announcement.

According to the announcement, Janet Gentile pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns in September of last year. She was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Robert H. Cleland to 21 months in federal prison, along with restitution to be paid to the Internal Revenue Service in the amount of $219,123.

Between 2008 and 2012, Gentile embezzled more than $739,000 from her employer, Sagres Partners LP. The press release revealed that while employed as manager of the business management consulting firm in Grosse Pointe, she stole money from the firm’s owner, writing checks from the owner’s personal checking account and forging the owner’s signature. Gentile would make the checks out to “cash,” and write in the memo line that the checks were for petty cash. Essentially, Gentile was embezzling from the company, depositing the “petty cash” checks into her own account, and using the money to shop on QVC, the Home Shopping Network, and other shopping venues. She was charged with filing false tax returns due to the fact that she did not report the income on her federal tax returns, resulting in an understated federal income tax liability. Had Gentile properly reported the stolen funds as income, she would have owed the IRS $219,123 on the income.

May 26, 2015

Visit to Knott’s Berry Farm Results in Stolen Cell Phone Leading to Arrest of Six on Drug Charges

by Scott Grabel

On Saturday, May 23, a woman was visiting theme park Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park when he cell phone was allegedly stolen. When she contacted the sheriff’s department in San Bernardino, she reported that she had tracked down the phone to a residence in Hesperia, according to sheriff’s officials.

Upon arriving at the residence, deputies found that the owner of the home, Stacey Shelton, had visited Knots Berry Farm that day and pocketed the phone, a fact she readily admitted to. Deputies also found Bobby Turner at the home; he is a known parolee according to the news report at the LA Times, and had meth and needles in his possession.

Inside the residents, deputies found a hash oil extraction lab. The deputies than secured a warrant and began to search the home. While they did recover the stolen cell phone, deputies also found methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and evidence that the hash-oil lab was being used. Hash oil labs use butane or other chemicals that are highly flammable to extract a concentrated form of marijuana.

May 25, 2015

DUI Arrests Down from Memorial Day Holiday 2014 in Arizona

by Scott Grabel

Michigan DUI attorneys know that nearly every holiday results in an increase in intoxicated driving, whether Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, or New Year’s. While the long holiday weekend is just coming to an end, a news article at AZCentral.com indicates that so far, the number of DUI arrests in Arizona are down from the same time a year ago.

On Sunday, the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety announced that across the state, a total of 216 DUI arrests were made between Friday and Saturday; this is down by 100 arrests from the same time period in 2014, when 316 arrests had been made. Of the 216 individuals arrested, 69 were considered cases of DUI extreme in which those arrested had a BAC of 0.15 or higher, nearly double the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

Arizona police did pull over more underage motorists suspected of drunk driving; in fact, there was a 55% increase in the number of minor consumption arrests and possession citations. During the two-day period, officers across Arizona made more than 6,100 traffic stops.

May 22, 2015

Suspected Carjackers Arrested in Detroit

by Scott Grabel

Recently, a group of carjackers was arrested by Detroit police. The group consisted of five individuals, four of the suspects teenagers. According to a news article at Mlive.com, the carjackers were arrested shortly after committing their second violent carjacking on Sunday.

Police said in a statement that a 19-year-old female driving a 2010 Chevy Malibu was carjacked at gunpoint at approximately 4:20 in the morning in the 12000 block of Northlawn. Four hours later, a second victim was carjacked at gunpoint. The 31-year-old male was driving a 2006 Ford Fusion in the 19200 block of Riverview. The second victim was robbed of $300, and fired at three times as the suspects drove away in his car.

The second victim told police the car the suspects were driving when they took his car was a white Chevy Impala, however after describing the vehicle, detectives determined it was actually the first victim’s vehicle, a white Chevy Malibu. After searching the area, police located the two stolen vehicles which they said were “driving in tandem.”

May 21, 2015

Maryland Court of Appeals Sends Convicted Murderer Adnan Syed’s Case Back to Lower Court

by Scott Grabel

According to a CNN new article published on May 19, Adnan Syed, convicted of killing ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 2000, may now get a big break after the Maryland Court of Appeals agreed to send his case back to lower court. Syed’s case is covered extensively in the highly popular podcast “Serial,” a 12-episode series.

Raised in the podcast were questions regarding Asia McClain, a witness who gives Syed a potential alibi for the time period in which Lee disappeared. In January of 1999, Hae Min Lee and Adnan Syed were both seniors at Woodlawn High School. Lee disappeared; her body was discovered several weeks later in a city forest in Baltimore County. McClain claims that at the time of the killing, Syed was with her in the library, a piece of evidence that never made it to Syed’s trial.

The “Serial” podcast dug into one of the puzzles of the case, leaving questions regarding why McClain’s account of Syed’s whereabouts never made it into the defense case. McClain claims that her efforts to provide this evidence to Syed’s attorney “fell on deaf ears.” Whether or not Syed is granted a retrial in the Baltimore City Circuit Court may hinge on McClain’s testimony and version of the events.

May 19, 2015

Ongoing Narcotics Investigation in Kansas Leads to Arrests of Two Women

by Scott Grabel

In recent weeks, authorities have made more than 35 arrests related to narcotic drugs in the Fort Scott, Kansas area and throughout Bourbon County, according to a recent news article at The Fort Scott Tribune. Over the weekend, two women were arrested by the Fort Scott Police Department, bringing the tally thus far in the investigation to 37. Agencies participating in the drug investigation include the FSPD, the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office, and the KBI Drug Task Force.

The two women arrested over the weekend include 30-year-old Maria Elena Durbin and 24-year-old Brianna M. Page. Both of the women were charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance by a communication facility after being taken in to custody on arrest warrants.

Prior to these most recent arrests, the KBI, BCSO, and FSPD arrested 30 individuals on May 12 and five individuals on May 13. All were charged with unlawful possession of controlled substance using a communication facility and violating Kansas Statute 21-5707(a)(1). Some of the individuals also face additional charges. Communication facility means any form of communication including telephone, pagers, computer networks, beepers, wire, radio, etc. whether private or public instruments used to transmit sounds, signals, signs, writing (such as text) pictures, or any communication.

May 18, 2015

Cape Cod School Bus Driver Allegedly Drives Drunk with Students on Board, Charged with OUI

by Scott Grabel

On Friday, May 15, a 62-year-old man was charged with OUI after allegedly driving a Cape Cod school bus with students on board while intoxicated, according to several news reports. Everett Redmond Jr. of Brewster, driver of the bus, was hired by an outside company according to the school superintendent, who said Redmond would “never driver students from his school again.”

According to the Boston Herald, a high school student who was on board the bus called her mother, claiming that Redmond was driving unsafely. She told her mother that she was getting off the bus at the next stop due to the man’s driving. The student’s mother then alerted police, who located the bus on Route 6 westbound in a Burger King parking lot. At that time, a handful of students were still on board the bus.

Redmond was given a field sobriety test by police which he apparently failed, as he was handcuffed and arrested while students inside the bus looked on. Redmond was charged with OUI, or operating under the influence. He was also charged with child endangerment. One parent made the comment “I don’t understand how they have this person driving a bus drunk in the middle of the afternoon.”

May 15, 2015

Man Suspected of Robbing Byron Township Citgo Apprehended by Police Following Brief Chase

by Scott Grabel

On Wednesday, May 13, an armed robber stole cash from a Byron Township Citgo station located on 84th St. SW, according to a recent news article at Mlive.com. The robbery occurred at approximately 3:30 in the afternoon; police identified the suspect on Thursday, who was caught on a surveillance camera inside the Citgo.

The suspect, whose name was not released, was allegedly armed with a knife when he robbed the gas station. On Thursday evening, police spotted the man driving a white Dodge pickup in Grand Rapids just after 6:30 in the area of Broadway Avenue north of Leonard Street NW. The man spotted the patrol car and drove off, which resulted in a short vehicle chase before the man exited his pickup and fled on foot. According to deputies, the man jumped down a steep embankment and suffered injuries after landing on a tree. He was found a short time later hiding next to an abandoned building, and was arrested before being transported to a local hospital via AMR Ambulance.

The news report indicated the suspect is being guarded by Michigan Department of Corrections officers, and is held on a parole violation.

May 14, 2015

23-year-old Busted in Miami Beach at DUI Checkpoint, Driver’s License Suspended 26 Times

by Scott Grabel

Michigan driver’s license reinstatement attorneys realize that nearly anyone can have his/her driver’s license suspended once or twice – but 26 times, when an individual is only 23 years old? This is exactly what seems to be the case with a South Florida man, who authorities discovered had his license suspended 26 times while running multi-agency DUI checkpoints in Miami Beach on Friday evening, May 8.

According to news reports Local10.com and Random Pixels, 23-year-old Kiarri Tommy Lee Cook was discovered to have had his license suspended more times than he is old in years after officers ran a records check on him at a DUI checkpoint. Officers said Cook is what is referred to as a habitual traffic offender, or H.T.O. In Florida, it is considered a felony to continue to drive knowing that your license has been suspended, particularly when someone repeats this behavior multiple times. Police also found marijuana in Cook’s glove compartment.

Cook claimed when interviewed by Local 10 News reporter John Turchin that he did not know his driver’s license was suspended. State records also indicate his license had been revoked for four years.