Tuesday, July 31, 2007

07312007 - Officer Ronell Weatherspoon - Sentenced - Buena Vista PD


 
 
 



















 
 
Former Police Officer gets jail time
The Bay City Times
August 02, 2007
http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1186067762175740.xml&coll=4

BUENA VISTA, MICHIGAN – A former Buena Vista Township police officer will spend at least a year in jail after pleading guilty to sexual assault charges involving a 15-year-old girl.

Ronell Weatherspoon 40, was sentenced by Bay County Circuit Judge William J. Caprathe on Monday to 19 months to 10 years for assault with attempt to commit sexual penetration and 13 to 24 months for fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Weatherspoon pleaded no contest to those charges in exchange for dismissal of a third-degree criminal sexual conduct charge and a charge of furnishing alcohol to a minor.

Weatherspoon, of Saginaw, was charged after the father of a 15-year-old Saginaw girl called police in May 2006 after learning that his daughter had sex with Weatherspoon while she and a friend babysat in a Williams Township trailer park for a friend’s children.

The girl said she’d met Weatherspoon through the 26-year-old woman whose children she babysat. That woman said she’d warned Weatherspoon to ‘’stay away” from the girl because she was only 15.

The girl said Weatherspoon showed up at the trailer with an 18-pack of beer on April 8, 2006, then later ran out and bought a fifth of vodka. The girl said she and her friend were performing ”lap dances” for each other and for Weatherspoon, and she was intoxicated and agreed to have sex with him.

Defense Attorney James Piazza argued prior to sentencing that ”this is a case where alcohol has clouded everyone’s judgment.”

He asked the judge to order no jail time. ”It may not be advisable to place him in a prison setting,” Piazza told the judge. "Further, it may not even be advisable to put him in a jail setting.”

Weatherspoon is no longer employed by Buena Vista, having resigned ”following the outcome of an internal investigation on an unrelated matter,” according to a statement made by a detective from that department.

The case was investigated by Bay County Sheriff’s Office detectives John Ruterbusch and Christopher Mausolf.

Caprathe also ordered Weatherspoon to undergo alcohol counseling.

Monday, July 30, 2007

07302007 - Deputy Jeffrey Stromer - Sentenced - Houghton County SD


Deputy Jeffrey Stromer at his sentencing hearing (Stromer is pictured on the right). In a plea agreement, Deputy Stromer was able to have the three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct against him dropped, in excahnge for him pleading no-contest to a domestic violence charge.

Instead of life in prison, on the three first-degree CSC charges, Deputy Stromer only received 6-24 months of probation for aggravated domestic violence.

Stromer was allowed to return to work at the Houghton County Sheriff Department - working in the county jail.








Former Sheriff's Deputy Gets Probation
WLUC TV6-  Houghton
August 2, 2007
http://www.wluctv6.com/Global/story.asp?S=6879283

A former deputy with the Houghton County Sheriff's Department on Monday was sentenced to 6-24 months of probation for aggravated domestic assault.

Forty-six-year-old Jeffery Stromer was arrested in May for domestic and sexual assault and was convicted of a misdemeanor last month.

Three felony charges were dropped as part of a plea bargain. Stromer also lost his job at the Sheriff's Department.

"I'm sure you'll never see him in this courtroom again," said his attorney, Frank Stupak. "And I'm sure he will prove to his family and to this community that justice for him is a term of probation with a delayed sentence.

"Special Judge Tim Brennan handed down the sentence of probation instead of jail time.









Deputy takes plea bargain in sex case
Daily Mining Gazette, MI
By KURT HAUGLIE, DMG Writer
Friday, June 22, 2007
http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=7522

HOUGHTON — A Houghton County Sheriff’s Deputy arrested by a detective from the Michigan State Police Calumet Post in May on a domestic violence charge and three charges of first degree criminal sexual assault pleaded no contest to the domestic violence charge Thursday in 97th District Court in Houghton.

Jeffery Stromer, 46, of Laurium, made the plea to Baraga County Probate Judge Timothy Brennan, who was presiding in place of Houghton District Court Judge Phillip Kukkonen to avoid any conflict of interest since Stromer is a Houghton County deputy.

Baraga County Prosecuting Attorney Joseph O’Leary, who also presided to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest, said a plea agreement had been reached with Stromer and his attorney, Frank Stupak. With the plea, the three charges of criminal sexual conduct were dropped.

“I have also agreed that I will not oppose a delay of sentence,” O’Leary said.

Brennan then asked Stromer if he understood that the domestic violence charge means without intent to commit murder or great bodily harm. He said he may not delay sentence in which case Stromer would not be able to withdraw his plea.

Brennan asked Stromer, also, if he understood that a no contest plea isn’t an admission of guilt, but is treated as such for the purposes of sentencing. Stromer said he understood all the points.

Brennan said he wanted a pre-sentencing investigation of the case, and will try to get an investigator from outside the Houghton County area. He set 3 p.m. Aug. 2 for the sentencing of Stromer and continued the $25,000 cash bond, which was posted.

A condition of the bond is that Stromer can’t have in-person contact with the victim.

O’Leary said the maximum penalty for the domestic violence charge is one year in jail and/or $1,000.










Local deputy placed on leave
Charged with sex crime
Daily Mining Gazette, MI - 9 hours ago
By GARRETT NEESE, DMG Writer
May 30, 2007
http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=7222

HOUGHTON — A Houghton County Sheriff’s Department deputy arrested on first-degree criminal sexual conduct and domestic violence charges has been put on administrative leave, sheriff’s department Capt. Marjorie Chandonais said Tuesday.

Jeffrey A. Stromer, 46, was arrested by Michigan State Police troopers Saturday, following an investigation into a domestic violence complaint. MSP Det. Sgt. Tom Rajala said the investigation was prompted by a complaint from the alleged victim.

Rajala would not release the alleged victim’s relationship to Stromer, citing a need for privacy.

First-degree criminal sexual conduct is a felony punishable by up to life in prison. Stromer was arraigned on Sunday with a cash bond set at $25,000.

Sheriff’s department Sgt. Chuck Cadwell said Stromer posted bail and was released.

A preliminary examination is scheduled for June 11 in 97th District Court.Investigative assistance in the case was provided by the Laurium Police Department, the Houghton County Sheriff Department, and a detective from the Michigan State Police post in Negaunee Township.

When asked this morning by the Gazette for a copy of Stromer’s mug shot, Chandonais declined to release it, because the suspect had been booked in Baraga County.

A Baraga County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman declined to release the photo, as the sheriff was not present.




MI POLICE OFFICER INVOLVED PERPETRATED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAW ENFORCEMENT MURDER SUICIDE

Friday, July 20, 2007

07202007 - Deputy Richard Rodden - Case dismissed - Livingston County SD

Also See:

Livingston County Sheriff Deputy Richard Rodden charged with domestic violence
[May 14, 2007]





Former deputy's charges dropped

By Lisa Roose-Church
DAILY PRESS and ARGUS
Sunday, July 22, 2007
http://www.dailypressandargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articleAID=/20070722/NEWS01/707220331/1002

A former Livingston County sheriff's deputy's domestic violence trial came to an abrupt halt Friday after the prosecution learned the alleged victim had a MySpace page that called her credibility into question.

On Kimberly Rodden's Web page is a photograph of handcuffs and the words, "Make them tight. I've been bad." She also wrote, "Innocent until proven guilty" and describes herself as a "spunky, sassy Asian sensation.""I am spoiled and I get what I want," Kim Rodden posted on her Web page while bragging about a Ford F-150 pickup truck that she wanted and testified that her husband purchased for her.

The Web posting details — which came as a surprise to the prosecution — became important after Kim Rodden testified that her husband, former Deputy Richard "Rick" Rodden, handcuffed her during one alleged domestic violence incident before striking her.

"If she's a victim, I'm a Japanese aviator," Plymouth defense attorney Richard Convertino told the court.

Richard Rodden declined the Daily Press & Argus' request for an interview. However, in an emotional moment and choking back tears in court, he thanked the seven-member Livingston County District Court jury for their service.

While Richard Rodden's supporters hugged one another outside of court, his wife's supporters stood stunned as they tried to understand why the charges were dropped. One supporter of Kim Rodden's pointed a finger at Richard Rodden as he left the courtroom and said, "You know you're guilty."

Assistant Prosecutor Dan Rose said the presentation of the Web pages in court "was the first time" his office had seen that evidence. He made a motion to dismiss the charges, which Convertino immediately accepted.

"When you make a decision like this, you weigh the value of the evidence you have, the evidence you don't have, the credibility of the witness, and you make a decision," Prosecutor David Morse said Friday afternoon. "We felt it would be in the best interest of justice to not pursue it."

Richard Rodden — who was accused of striking his wife, handcuffing her and putting a pillow over her face — faces no further charges from the incidents because double jeopardy would be an issue, Morse said. Double jeopardy means a person cannot be tried twice for the same offense.

In the opening day of testimony Thursday, Kim Rodden testified that her husband would lose control. She said he kicked her, handcuffed her and slapped her on the side of the head "four or five times." She also accused him of putting a pillow on her face and trying to suffocate her.

Richard Rodden was charged with domestic violence after arguing with his wife May 14. During that argument, Kim Rodden testified, her husband used pressure point techniques on her to get her to stand up before throwing her on the couch where he "charged" on her after the ringer for a text message sounded.

She said during the argument, her husband took out what she thought was his Taser stun gun and held it down by his side. She said he pointed the gun at his head and told her that he would die for her, but would not kill himself for her.

Police later learned Richard Rodden had pulled his service weapon out, not the Taser gun.

On Friday, Convertino and co-counsel Lenore Ferber spent most of the day attacking Kim Rodden's credibility. He argued to introduce testimony about her alleged aggression in a previous marriage, but District Judge Carol Sue Reader ruled that he could only do that if he could prove the woman had been aggressive toward Richard Rodden during the argument on May 14.No testimony indicated that Kim Rodden had been aggressive toward her husband that day.

Convertino then successfully fought to admit into evidence Kim Rodden's online postings, including a photograph of her sitting in her husband's Trans Am.

After Reader ruled the Web pages were relevant to impeach the complainant's claims of domestic violence, Rose asked for a recess to talk to Kim Rodden and to call his office.

A few minutes later Rose asked to dismiss the case and Reader agreed when Convertino did not object.

Convertino echoed the judge's sentiment to the jury that had they decided the case, they no doubt would have returned a "fair and just verdict."

"This was a fair and just verdict," Convertino said. "I commend Mr. Rose for recognizing the truthfulness of the case and dismissing it."

Richard Rodden, who was deputy of the year in 2003 for the Sheriff's Department, resigned in May after being charged and after an internal investigation that revealed he had violated departmental policies, Sheriff Bob Bezotte previously said.

Asked if Richard Rodden would get his job back, Bezotte declined Friday to comment, saying, "He is no longer an employee of our department. I have no comment."













Prosecutor: Ex-deputy hit wife

Livingston Daily, MI
17 hours ago
By Lisa Roose-Church
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
Originally published July 20, 2007
http://www.dailypressandargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070720/NEWS01/707200316/1002

An assistant prosecutor said a well-trained police officer used his training to subdue and physically strike his wife, whom he believed was having an affair, but defense attorneys say the woman's complaints came only after she was served with divorce papers.

Those comments came in opening arguments at the trial of former deputy Richard "Rick" Rodden, who is charged with misdemeanor domestic violence.

The jury trial, which was adjourned early due to a storm that knocked out power to the Judicial Center, continues today in Livingston County District Judge Carol Sue Reader's courtroom.

Testimony Thursday indicated that Rodden had previously tried to suffocate his wife, Kimberly, with a pillow, and handcuffed her before slapping her four or five times in the head during two separate arguments.

Assistant Prosecutor Dan Rose said Rick Rodden's "jealousies and concern boiled over" on May 14 when he physically struck his wife after subduing her using techniques he learned as a police officer.

"It had become an emotional torment for her," Rose said.

Plymouth defense attorney Richard Convertino said the Roddens had an "immature relationship." However, he said, Kimberly Rodden didn't make her first domestic violence complaint, which alleged the pillow and handcuff incidents, with the Sheriff's Department until April — one day after he had her served with divorce papers.

Convertino said the divorce papers came after his client "saw his wife engaged with another man." Convertino acknowledged that Kimberly Rodden indicated she didn't want to get her husband into trouble, but he questioned her motives."She went nuts," Convertino said. "She lost it. She was enraged."

Kimberly Rodden testified that it was her husband who lost control. She said during one argument about whether her husband was cheating, Rick Rodden kicked her, handcuffed her and slapped her upside the head "four or five times." She later said she thought her husband was cheating because he lied to her about talking to another woman.

Kimberly Rodden said her husband told her she was under arrest. She replied, "I'm not a criminal," and he slapped her and called her a derogatory word, Kimberly Rodden testified.

In a separate incident, the former deputy placed a pillow on her face and tried to suffocate her, Kimberly Rodden said. He also used a tracking device on her truck to find out where she was traveling, she added.

"He would completely lose control when he got angry," she said.

Kimberly Rodden said that on May 14 the couple began arguing after Rodden stepped on her cell phone. She bent over to get it and claims her husband used a pressure point technique on her to get her to stand up before throwing her on the couch where he "jumped" on her after the ringer for a text message sounded.

She said during the argument, her husband took out what she thought was his Taser gun and held it down by his side. She said he pointed the gun at his head and told her that he would die for her, but would not kill himself for her.

Police later learned Rick Rodden had pulled his service weapon out, not the Taser gun.

Convertino asked Kimberly Rodden why she told her husband to "go ahead" and shoot himself. She denied that her comment "go ahead" meant to kill himself.

"He saw everything slip away when his wife told him to shoot himself," Convertino told the jury in his opening statement.

Subsequent telephone messages, which Kimberly Rodden taped, from Rick Rodden to his wife were played in court. In those messages, the former deputy demanded to know why she was not answering her phone and used foul language.

In one taped phone conversation that occurred after Rick Rodden learned his wife had called police to report the May 14 incident, Kimberly Rodden asked her husband if he thought what he did to her was the right thing to do.

"No, Kim, I don't think it's right," Rick Rodden replied. "But I don't think it's right you're running around on me."

When Convertino asked Kimberly Rodden why she sounded so "calm and nonchalant" when she called 911, the woman said she was "trying to hold herself together."

A tape of Kimberly Rodden's call to 911 indicated a calm woman who identified herself as "Deputy Rick Rodden's wife." She told the dispatcher that her husband had assaulted her and as she described the assault.








Wednesday, July 18, 2007

07182007 - Former Officer Phillip Bal - Sentenced [April 01, 2004 CSC/Home Invasion Charges] - Iron Mountain PD

Also See:

1995 - Officer Phillip Bal - CSC allegation - Iron Mountain PD

04012004 - Officer Phillip Bal - Home invasion and CSC - Iron Mountain PD

04012005 - Officer Phillip Bal - CSC - Iron Mountain PD

04212006 - Officer Phillip Bal - CSC - Iron Mountain PD

04222006 - Officer Phillip Bal - Suspended - Iron Mountain PD

07112006 - Officer Phillip Bal - Terminated - Iron Mountain PD

07182007 - Former Officer Phillip Bal - Sentenced [April 01, 2004 CSC/Home Invasion Charges] - Iron Mountain PD

08152007 - Former Officer Phillip Bal - Appeal Filed - COA 280009 - Iron Mountain PD

09172007 - Former Officer Phillip Bal - Appeal Filed - COA 280601 - Iron Mountain PD

10182007 - Former Officer Phillip Bal - COA Appeal 280009 - Dismissed - Iron Mountain PD

11082007 - Former Officer Phillip Bal - LE license revoked - Iron Mountain PD

08282008 - Former Officer Phillip Bal - Charges dismissed [Aurora WI. April 2005 charges] - Iron Mountain PD

09232008 - Former Officer Phillip Bal - Appeal COA 280601 - OPINION - Conviction Affirmed - Iron Mountain PD

05242020 - Former Officer Phillip Bal - Released From Prison - Iron Mountain PD

















ORIGINAL CHARGES: 4TH DEGREE CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT; TWO COUNTS OF ASSAULT AND BATTERY; DISORDERLY CONDUCT; CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT [1ST DEGREE]; HOME INVASION [1ST DEGREE]

MDOC NUMBER: 650732
CURRENT STATUS: PRISONER
LOCATION: BELLAMY CREEK CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
SECURITY LEVEL: IV
EARLIEST RELEASE DATE: 05/23/2018
MAXIMUM DISCHARGE DATE: 05/23/2027

SENTENCE 1:
OFFENSE: HOME INVASION- 1ST DEGREE

MCL #: 750.110A2
COURT FILE # : 06003660-FC-C
COUNTY: DICKINSON
CONVICTION TYPE: JURY
MINIMUM SENTENCE: 11 YEARS 0 MONTHS
MAXIMUM SENTENCE: 20 YEARS 0 MONTHS
DATE OF OFFENSE: 04/01/2004
DATE OF SENTENCE: 07/08/2007

SENTENCE 2:
OFFENSE: CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT, 1ST DEGREE
MCL #: 750.520B
COURT FILE # : 06003660-FC-C
COUNTY: DICKINSON
CONVICTION TYPE: JURY
MINIMUM SENTENCE: 11 YEARS 0 MONTHS
MAXIMUM SENTENCE: 20 YEARS 0 MONTHS
DATE OF OFFENSE: 04/01/2004
DATE OF SENTENCE: 07/18/2007

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

07042007 - Officer Marvin Gene Petty - Muskegon Heights PD

July 04, 2007: Officer Marvin Gene Petty, Muskegon Heights Police Department



UPDATE: OFFICER PETTY PLACED BACK ON DUTY AND DV CONVICTION ERASED FROM HIS RECORD: NOVEMBER 2008.







Officer Marvin Petty is still with the Muskegon Heights Police Department following his 2008 conviction for domestic violence.


Car flips, almost hits homeowner
Published: Thursday, November 12, 2009, 5:34 PM
Updated: Friday, November 13, 2009, 5:42 PM
By Heidi Fenton
The Muskegon Chronicle
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2009/11/car_flips_almost_hits_homeowne.html

Mary Allene Salis is breathing a sigh of relief — and for good reason.

The 72-year-old Muskegon Heights woman was blowing leaves in her front yard at 2021 Sixth just after 3:30 p.m. Thursday when suddenly she heard a loud noise. Salis looked up to see a red Chevrolet Monte Carlo barreling over a section of old railroad tracks near her home at a high rate of speed, she said. Minutes later, after swerving from side to side and flipping several times, the car took out her chain link fence and landed upside down on Salis’ front steps — about seven feet from where she stood.

“I was so relieved,” Salis said, staring in bewilderment at pieces of shattered glass all over her front lawn and the frame of her bedroom window — where she spends a large part of her time — punched in.

“I said I was going to do a few more leaves and then go in there and rest. I’m blessed,” she said.

More than 20 neighbors milled around in the roadway as a tow truck removed debris.

Muskegon Heights police officer Marvin Gene Petty said the car’s two occupants, a man and his girlfriend’s 11-year-old son, were uninjured in the crash. Petty estimated the car was traveling about 50 miles an hour.

“He was going at excessive speed over the tracks and flipped his vehicle several times into the house,” Petty said.

Petty transported the car’s driver to Mercy Health Partners’ Hackley Campus to be evaluated for minor cuts and for further questioning.
Salis said the driver and his son got out of the car just after the crash and “attempted to run,” but neighbors in the street “wouldn’t let him.”


An investigation into the crash is continuing.

Donald Salis, Mary’s son, lives directly across the street and said he saw the crash while sitting in his car. Donald thought the car had struck his mother.

“She ran, thank God,” he said, explaining how Mary Salis turned and moved around the back side of her house.

“It was completely airborne,” he said of the car.













Fired Heights police officer gets job back
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Muskegon Chronicle
FROM LOCAL REPORTS
http://www.mlive.com/news/chronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-15/1227195919112800.xml&coll=8

MUSKEGON HEIGHTS -- A police officer fired in February after pleading guilty to first-offense domestic violence -- a crime committed while he was on duty in uniform -- has gotten his job back with the Muskegon Heights Police Department.

Marvin Gene Petty will resume his road patrol duties in about two weeks, said Police Chief Clif Johnson. Petty also will receive back pay, but not for the entire time he was off work.

A grievance over the firing had been filed through the Police Officers Association of Michigan, the union representing Muskegon Heights patrol officers.

City Attorney Ted Williams said the ruling that gave Petty his job back came from a labor arbitrator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The ruling was received in late October.

The victim of the domestic violence incident was a woman with whom Petty had a dating relationship. He stopped at her home while on duty, and the two got into an argument.

Sixtieth District Judge Maria Ladas Hoopes suspended a 93-day jail sentence for Petty on the misdemeanor offense, placed him on probation for six months and ordered counseling. He also had to pay fines and costs.

Petty successfully completed his court-ordered probation, and under the terms of the plea, the conviction has been expunged.










Fired Muskegon Heights officer gets his job back
by Local reports The Muskegon Chronicle
Wednesday November 19, 2008, 11:01 PM
http://www.mlive.com/chronicle/news/index.ssf/2008/11/fired_heights_cop_gets_job_bac.html

A police officer fired last February after pleading guilty to first-offense domestic violence -- a crime committed while he was on duty in uniform -- has gotten his job back with the Muskegon Heights Police Department.

Marvin Gene Petty will resume his road patrol duties in about two weeks, said Police Chief Clif Johnson. Petty also will receive back pay, but not for the entire time he was off work.

A grievance over the firing had been filed through the Police Officers Association of Michigan, the union representing Muskegon Heights patrol officers.
City Attorney Ted Williams said the ruling that gave Petty his job back came from a labor arbitrator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The ruling was received in late October.

The victim of the domestic violence incident was a woman with whom Petty had a dating relationship. He stopped at her home while on duty and the two got into an argument.

Sixtieth District Judge Maria Ladas Hoopes suspended a 93-day jail sentence for Petty on the misdemeanor offense, placed him on probation for six months and ordered counseling. He also had to pay fines and costs.

Petty successfully completed his court-ordered probation, and under the terms of the plea, the conviction has been expunged.















Cop fired after guilty plea to domestic violence
Friday, February 29, 2008
By John S. Hausman
The Muskegon Chronicle
MUSKEGON COUNTY -- A Muskegon Heights police officer pleaded guilty Thursday to first-offense domestic violence, under a provision that leaves him with no criminal conviction if he successfully completes mandatory counseling and commits no further offenses during a probationary period.

Officer Marvin Gene Petty committed the assault while on duty and in uniform July 4.

Petty was fired after his guilty plea, Police Chief Clif Johnson said. Johnson said he would not rehire Petty even if the ex-officer successfully completes probation. Johnson declined to comment further, except to call the situation "unfortunate."

Petty, 41, of Roosevelt Park had been on unpaid leave from his job since shortly after the incident.

The victim was a woman with whom Petty had a "dating relationship," according to the court file.

After Petty was charged last July, prosecutors said the allegation was that Petty stopped at the woman's Muskegon home in the 1900 block of Jefferson Street while he was on duty. The two argued, and Petty struck her in the leg with an object police believe was a collapsible baton. She did not sustain any injuries and did not report the incident immediately to Muskegon police, authorities said.

When authorities in Muskegon Heights found out about the allegation, Johnson asked State Police to investigate and suspended Petty.

Petty pleaded guilty as charged to first-offense domestic violence, a misdemeanor.

In cases like Petty's where the defendant has no prior assaultive record, the law allows the judge to defer further proceedings and place the defendant on probation, including an order to undergo mandatory counseling, and then dismiss the case if he successfully completes probation. That provision requires the consent of the prosecutor's office in consultation with the victim, who agreed to it in this case.

After Petty's guilty plea, Muskegon County 60th District Judge Maria Ladas Hoopes sentenced him to 93 days in jail but suspended that sentence, placed him on probation for six months, including the counseling program, and ordered him to pay $500 in fines and costs in monthly $100 payments starting March 28.

The Chronicle Thursday afternoon was unable to reach Petty's attorney, Redford-based George Julian Mertz, assistant general counsel of the Police Officers Association of Michigan, for comment.

POAM is the labor union representing Muskegon Heights police officers.







Officer pleads to charge of domestic violence
Published: Thursday, February 28, 2008, 11:53 PM
Updated: Thursday, February 28, 2008, 11:54 PM
By John S. Hausman
The Muskegon Chronicle
http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/02/officer_pleads_to_charge_of_do.html

A Muskegon Heights police officer pleaded guilty Thursday to first-offense domestic violence, under a provision that leaves him with no criminal conviction if he successfully completes mandatory counseling and commits no further offenses during a probationary period.




Officer Marvin Petty


Officer Marvin Gene Petty committed the assault while on duty and in uniform July 4.

Petty was fired after his guilty plea, Police Chief Clif Johnson said. Johnson said he would not rehire Petty even if the ex-officer successfully completes probation.

Johnson declined to comment further, except to call the situation "unfortunate."
Petty, 41, of Roosevelt Park had been on unpaid leave from his job since shortly after the incident.

The victim was a woman with whom Petty had a "dating relationship," according to the court file.

After Petty was charged last July, prosecutors said the allegation was that Petty stopped at the woman's Muskegon home in the 1900 block of Jefferson Street while he was on duty. The two argued, and Petty struck her in the leg with an object police believe was a collapsible baton. She did not sustain any injuries and did not report the incident immediately to Muskegon police, authorities said.

When authorities in Muskegon Heights found out about the allegation, Johnson asked Michigan State Police to investigate and suspended Petty.

Petty pleaded guilty as charged to first-offense domestic violence, a misdemeanor.

In cases like Petty's where the defendant has no prior assaultive record, the law allows the judge to defer further proceedings and place the defendant on probation, including an order to undergo mandatory counseling, and then dismiss the case if he successfully completes probation. That provision requires the consent of the prosecutor's office in consultation with the victim, who agreed to it in this case.

After Petty's guilty plea, Muskegon County 60th District Judge Maria Ladas Hoopes sentenced him to 93 days in jail but suspended that sentence; placed him on probation for six months, including the counseling program; and ordered him to pay $500 in fines and costs, in monthly $100 payments starting March 28.

The Chronicle Thursday afternoon was unable to reach Petty's attorney, Redford-based George Julian Mertz, assistant general counsel of the Police Officers Association of Michigan, for comment. POAM is the labor union representing Muskegon Heights police officers.












Muskegon Heights Officer Arraigned
WZZM13
GRAND RAPIDS
Monday, July 23, 2007
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/regional/lakeshore_article.aspx?storyid=78303

A Muskegon Heights police officer could lose his job if convicted of accusations he hit a woman while on duty.

Marvin Gene Petty, 41, was arraigned this week on a charge of domestic violence.

Prosecutors say Petty got into an argument with a woman he was dating on July fourth while in uniform and on duty.

She told police he hit her in the leg with what officers believe was a collapsible baton.

The Muskegon Heights' police chief suspended Petty, who pled not guilty to the charge.














Cop charged with domestic violence, suspended from post
Saturday, July 21, 2007
By Lisa Medendorp
http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1185012979304010.xml&coll=8

A Muskegon Heights police officer has been arraigned on a domestic violence charge stemming from a July 4 incident that occurred while he was on duty.

He has since been suspended from the force.

Marvin Gene Petty, 41, of Roosevelt Park, was arraigned Thursday before 60th District Judge Michael J. Nolan.Petty entered a not guilty plea to the misdemeanor offense and posted a $3,000 personal recognizance bond.

Michigan State Police were asked to investigate the incident by Muskegon Heights Police Chief Clif Johnson, who suspended Petty.

A condition of Petty's bond is that he have no contact with the alleged victim or her residence, which is in the 1900 block of Jefferson Street in Muskegon.

Brett Gardner, Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor, said the incident occurred while Petty was in uniform and on duty. The alleged victim is a woman with whom he had a "dating relationship," according to the court file.

"The allegation is that there was a verbal argument between the two and during the argument the victim was struck in the leg," Gardner said.

She said she was struck with an object that police believe was a collapsible baton, Gardner said.

She did not sustain any injuries and did not report the incident immediately to Muskegon police, he said, adding that Petty has denied any physical contact with the woman.

When authorities in Muskegon Heights found out about the allegation, an investigation was started.

A pre-trial conference has been set for Aug. 7.