A Macomb County commissioner is to spend 30 weeks in domestic violence counseling under a plea deal stemming from a June confrontation with his girlfriend that ended in a car collision. Roland Fraschetti, a St. Clair Shores Republican, pleaded guilty Friday to reckless driving, a 90-day misdemeanor. The charge will be reduced to careless driving, a civil infraction, if he successfully completes the counseling. Fraschetti was accused of backing his SUV into his girlfriend's Saturn sedan with such force that it rolled onto the hood of the smaller car. The two had just argued and were in the driveway of a St. Clair Shores home owned by Fraschetti. No one was seriously injured. "The victim didn't want me to charge him at all," said Joseph McCarthy Jr. of the St. Clair County Prosecutor's Office, which handled the case because of Fraschetti's position in Macomb County. "I told her I have to do something to make sure this doesn't happen again." A judge will take Fraschetti's guilty plea under advisement while the commissioner attends weekly group counseling sessions run by Catholic Social Services of St. Clair County. Any failure to finish the program could result in a reckless driving conviction. Sebastian Lucido, Fraschetti's attorney, said his client considers the deal a proper end to what essentially was a car accident. "They got into an argument and it got heated, but he never laid a finger on her," Lucido said. "The man does not have a violent bone in his body." What really happened, Lucido said, is that "she was in a car behind him and just pulled up. When he hit the car, he was at fault." With the careless driving infraction, Fraschetti faces three points on his driving record and a $100 fine. He must also pay $750 for the counseling program, which is the same one Commissioner Kurt Kramer was ordered into after pleading no contest to assaulting his wife in June.
OFFICIAL AGREES TO COUNSELING
Detroit Free Press
December 17, 2002 December 17, 2002 •• 428 words •• ID: 0212170250. Detroit Free Press. Four days after being sworn in as a Macomb County Commissioner, Kurt Kramer appeared in court on domestic violence charges and agreed to seek counseling with his wife. His pretrial hearing Monday at 42-2 District Court in Mt. Clemens was adjourned by Judge Paul Cassidy after Kramer's lawyer said he would seek counseling with his wife, who wants to reconcile and save their marriage. Kramer, 47, was charged Nov. 27 after his wife, Russian native Lyubov Arestova, 34, told...
A newly elected Macomb County commissioner will face a judge on domestic violence charges days after he is sworn into office. Kurt Kramer, 47, was charged Nov. 27 with two counts of domestic violence and released the next day on $300 bond. His pretrial hearing is scheduled for Dec. 16 in 42-2 District Court, which is temporarily located in Mt. Clemens. His wife, Russia native Lyubov Arestova, 34, told police that her husband attacked her Nov. 26 after she refused to take off her clothes and pose for nude photographs, according to police documents. One of his previous wives, Oxana Kramer, a Ukrainian mail-order bride, obtained a personal protection order against him almost two years ago, said Chesterfield Township Police Lt. Dave Marker. Kramer has been married four times. While being charged with a misdemeanor doesn't prevent a commissioner from serving on the board under county rules, some of Kramer's future colleagues are wary of the bad publicity that follows such allegations. "People have a negative enough image of politics without having this happen," said Commissioner Diana Kolakowski of Sterling Heights. "It doesn't exactly support the family values platform." But Commissioner Mike Sessa of Harrison Township, who bailed Kramer out of jail, said people are unfairly assuming that Kramer is guilty. He noted that Kramer is the sole caregiver of his 80-year-old father. "I can't understand why this would happen to him," said Sessa, who has known Kramer for four years. "I would give him the benefit of the doubt." Kramer of New Baltimore said he plans to attend the Dec. 12 swearing-in ceremony and take his seat Jan.1. He said his personal life will not interfere with his commission duties. He listed his job priorities as road improvements and finding a permanent location for the 42-2 District Court, temporarily housed in the county jail. "Give me a chance to prove myself," Kramer said. "I plan to do what they elected me to do." Kramer, an Air Force reservist, said he and Arestova were the perfect couple during his successful bid for Macomb County's 14th District, which includes Chesterfield Township, Lenox Township, New Baltimore and New Haven Village. The Republican beat Democrat Wendy Iacobelli for the seat being vacated by commission Chairman John Hertel, who announced his resignation in May. Arestova, who Kramer said has been learning English since she arrived in the United States, helped with mailings and neighborhood walks and attended victory parties, Kramer said. But soon after, Arestova became short-tempered, he said. Kramer said Wednesday that he hasn't seen his wife since the incident. He said the trouble began when he asked if he could put some of her clothes, which smelled like cigarette smoke, in their enclosed porch because the smell was bothering him. Kramer said she stormed out of their bedroom wearing only a robe and went to her son's room where she changed and later threatened to tell police he had tried to rip her clothes off. On Wednesday evening, Arestova said, "It's a very bad situation." She declined further comment, saying her English is bad and her social worker could better explain her side of the story. Police were called to the scene by Arestova's 14-year-old son who said Kramer choked him, Marker said. Kramer, a jet fueler at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, said he met Arestova through a friend when he was vacationing in Russia in June 2001. They communicated for a while before she came to the United States with her son. The couple lived together for about six months before marrying in January. Kramer believes the couple could still work things out. Ex-wife Oxana Kramer sought a personal protection order against him in January 2001. But he assaulted a police officer who went to Kramer's house to serve the papers, according to police reports. Kramer pleaded guilty to the assault and battery charge. He served one year of probation to the misdemeanor charge. The commission seat is Kramer's first elected post. He served briefly on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners in the early 1990s, when he lived in Oak Park. He was appointed to complete a term left vacant by a commissioner who died. Kramer lost his 1994re-election bid for the seat.
2003: Firefighter Gerald Thoma Jr. was charged again for opertaing a motor vehicle while impaired. It was his second DUI offense. During this incident, Thoma rammed his truck into an acquaintance's house and vehicle in Muskegon Township while attending a party there. He eventually pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 45 days in the Muskegon County Jail and 24 months of probation. http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2003/06/fire-captain-gerald-paul-thoma-jr.html
2012: While intoxicated, Firefighter Thoma attempted a stunt on while driving his motorcycle and without his helmet on. Thoma was seriously injured. Thoma was charged with a felony: operating while intoxicated, third offense, which was punishable up to 5 years in prison. In January 2013, Thoma pled nolo contendere to MCL 257.6256D [operating intoxicated / impaired /controlled substance, third offense. Thoma was sentenced to 3 years probation. http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2012/07/firefighter-gerald-paul-thoma-jr.html
Fire Captain Gerald Paul Thoma Jr. [Fruitport Township FD]
Original Charges: Charged with felony malicious destruction of a building. June 2003. Sentence: Plea bargain. Pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors: operating a vehicle while impaired and malicious destruction of property causing $200 or more in damages stemming from that incident. He was sentenced to 45 days in the county jail and 24 months of probation Reprimand from City of Fruitport/ FD: Placed on a 30-day unpaid suspension and had to sign a "last chance agreement" to keep his job. The agreement indicated Thoma couldn't use illegal substances or alcohol or become involved in any criminal activities for the "lifetime of his career" at the Fruitport Township Fire Department.
A Fruitport Township fire captain with a criminal record has been charged with domestic assault for allegedly punching his 16-year-old son. Gerald Paul Thoma Jr., 43, was charged with the misdemeanor stemming from a June 2 incident in which he is accused of punching his son in the face during an argument. Fire Chief Ken Doctor said Thursday that Thoma, who has been on the department for more than 20 years, is not suspended from his job and will continue to work as a fire captain on a full-time basis "for now." He declined further comment. According to the police report, Thoma and his son got into an argument just before 11 p.m. that escalated into an alleged assault at their home at 3148 E. Pontaluna. The argument apparently was over whether the son could go to a skate park with friends, said Police Chief Paul Smutz. Thoma's wife, Geraldine Thoma, told police she was at the home when the incident occurred but did not witness it, Smutz said. The son called 911. The veteran fire captain -- who is 6 feet 1 inch tall, and weighs 230 pounds -- is accused of punching the teen in the nose three times, Smutz said. When officers arrived at the scene, "they saw blood coming from (the son's) nose, and it was swollen," Smutz said. Township Supervisor Ron Cooper said Thoma's job is not in jeopardy at this time because he is "not convicted of anything.""If he is found to be guilty, then that could have an effect on his job," Cooper said. "I don't see why we would take a man's job away from him because he's been accused of something." Cooper said he had not read the police report."It's an accusation," he said of the punching allegations. "The kid may have fallen on the floor, for all I know. It's a domestic thing. It's a discipline thing."It was not clear whether the teen indicated he wanted to press charges against his father, but in domestic assault cases, if there is physical evidence to support it "an arrest has to happen," Smutz said. Thoma was arrested and lodged the same night in the Muskegon County Jail. A jury trial is slated for 9 a.m. Aug. 20 in 14th Circuit Court. Thoma's June 2 arrest came about four years after his last run-in with the law. In June 2003, Thoma was charged with a five-year felony for malicious destruction of a building causing more than $1,000 in damages. Connie Smith, who was township supervisor at the time, did not take the incident lightly. Thoma was placed on a 30-day unpaid suspension and had to sign a "last chance agreement" to keep his job. The agreement indicated Thoma couldn't use illegal substances or alcohol or become involved in any criminal activities for the "lifetime of his career" at the Fruitport Township Fire Department. It also required Thoma to continue a substance abuse treatment program he began after the June 14, 2003, incident. Cooper said he has looked at that agreement, but other township officials agreed no action should be taken at this time. Thoma was arrested for ramming his Dodge truck into an acquaintance's house at 1479 S. Mill Iron in Muskegon Township. He also rammed the acquaintance's vehicle that night and returned to the same home days later to offer the victim money to "settle the matter" to reduce his criminal charge, police said. Thoma pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors: operating a vehicle while impaired and malicious destruction of property causing $200 or more in damages stemming from that incident. He was sentenced to 45 days in the county jail and 24 months of probation and was ordered to pay court costs and fines.
FRUITPORT TOWNSHIP -- A Fruitport Township fire captain has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence for punching his 16-year-old son in the nose. Gerald Paul Thoma Jr., 43, entered the plea Tuesday before 60th District Judge Michael J. Nolan. Nolan sentenced Thoma to probation, fines and costs and anger-management class. According to a police report, Thoma and his 16-year-old son got into an argument June 2 that escalated into an assault at their home at 3148 E. Pontaluna. The son called 911. Police said Thoma punched the teen in the nose three times. It's not Thoma's first criminal conviction. In June 2003, Thoma was arrested for ramming his truck into an acquaintance's house and vehicle in Muskegon Township while attending a party there. He eventually pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 45 days in the county jail and 24 months of probation.
FRUITPORT TOWNSHIP, MI – Gerald Paul Thoma Jr., the veteran Fruitport Township firefighter charged with third-offense drunk driving, has resigned from the fire department. Thoma, 48, a longtime Fruitport Township Fire Department captain, turned in his resignation letter Friday to Fruitport Township Supervisor Brian Werschem. On Monday the township board of trustees accepted the resignation, Werschem said. The board, not the public safety director, makes the hiring and firing decisions for the township. Thoma was charged with the five-year felony recently in connection with a July 20 motorcycle accident in which Thoma was seriously injured. It wasn’t clear Thursday whether Thoma had yet been arraigned on the charge, but a warrant was signed last week. Toxicology test results indicate Thoma had a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 percent when the accident happened at 11 p.m. in the parking lot of Office Max in the 1700 block of East Sherman Boulevard in the city of Muskegon. The blood-alcohol limit for driving a motor vehicle in Michigan is 0.08. Thoma struck a concrete parking block while attempting the stunt, police said. A video of the accident was released to the media by the Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Office. Thoma suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized for several weeks following the crash. He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, according to the Muskegon police report. Others were doing stunts in the parking lot on July 20 when Thoma tried to do a stunt himself, police said. Thoma was previously charged with operating a motor vehicle while impaired in 1985 and 2003, both in Muskegon County.
Video released of Fruitport Township fire captain attempting motorcycle stunt while allegedly drunk
FRUITPORT TOWNSHIP, MI – The Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office has released a video showing an incident in July that injured a Fruitport Township fire captain, who was allegedly intoxicated when it occurred.
The six-second video shows Gerald Paul Thoma Jr., who has been charged with a felony, moving past another motorcyclist in an empty Office Max parking lot in the 1700 block of East Sherman Boulevard in the city of Muskegon on July 20. The video shows him falling off his bike as sparks fly. Thoma has been charged for operating while intoxicated third offense, after toxicology test results indicated that he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 percent. The legal blood-alcohol limit for driving a motor vehicle in Michigan is 0.08. Thoma had not been arraigned in Muskegon County 60th District Court as of Thursday evening. Police said others had been doing stunts in the parking lot that night when Thoma attempted one himself. He was seriously injured when he hit a concrete block and has only recently been released from the hospital, according to family and friends. He was not wearing a helmet at the time, according to a police report. It is unclear if the incident will affect his job at the fire department. Court records show that Thoma has previous drunk driving convictions in Muskegon County. He was charged with operating a motor vehicle while impaired in 1985 and 2003. He also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence for punching his then-16-year-old son in the nose three times in 2007.
MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) - A Fruitport Township fire captain could spend five years behind bars if convicted of his third drunk driving charge. A warrant for Gerald Thoma Jr. was issued, according to Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Brett Gardner, but he has not yet been arraigned on a count of operating while intoxicated (third offense). The charge stems from a July 20 incident that happened in the parking lot of the Office Max on E. Sherman Boulevard in Muskegon. Thoma, 48, was allegedly trying to perform a stunt on his motorcycle when he was seriously injured. He was not wearing a helmet and recovered in a hospital for more than a month. His blood-alcohol content ( BAC) level was 0.10 at the time, according to a toxicology report -- .02 higher than the legal limit in Michigan. Thoma's previous drunk driving charges were from 1985 and 2003 -- both in Muskegon County.
FRUITPORT TOWNSHIP, MI – A Fruitport Township fire captain has been charged with a felony for an alleged drunken driving incident that police say happened while he was trying to do a stunt on his motorcycle in July. Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Brett Gardner confirmed Wednesday that a warrant has been signed for Gerald Paul Thoma Jr., 48, of the Fruitport Township Fire Department for operating while intoxicated, third offense. That’s a felony punishable up to five years in prison if convicted, Gardner said. As of late Wednesday afternoon, Thoma hadn't yet been arraigned in Muskegon County 60th District Court. Toxicology test results indicate Thoma had a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 percent when the accident happened at 11 p.m. on July 20 in the parking lot of Office Max in the 1700 block of East Sherman Boulevard in the city of Muskegon. The legal blood-alcohol limit for driving a motor vehicle in Michigan is 0.08. Thoma was seriously injured in the crash and only recently released from the hospital, according to friends and family. It wasn't clear what condition Thoma was in as of late Wednesday. He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, according to the Muskegon police report. Others were doing stunts in the parking lot on July 20 when Thoma tried to do a stunt himself, police said. A woman had been on the back of Thoma’s motorcycle just prior to the crash, but wasn’t on the bike when he crashed, police said. Thoma struck a concrete parking block in the parking lot while attempting the stunt, police said. Fruitport Township Public Safety Director Ken Doctor said Wednesday that he was unaware of the charges filed against Thoma. Doctor could not say whether the charge will affect Thoma's job at the fire department. It will be up to the township board to decide whether Thoma will keep his job, Doctor said, adding that he doesn’t do the “hiring or the firing” at the fire department. “That decision will rest with the township board,” Doctor said. Thoma has had previous drunken driving convictions in Muskegon County, court records show. Thoma was previously charged with operating a motor vehicle while impaired in 1985 and 2003, both in Muskegon County. The 2003 incident occurred when Thoma rammed his truck into an acquaintance's house and vehicle in Muskegon Township while attending a party there, according to police. He eventually pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 45 days in the Muskegon County Jail and 24 months of probation. In 2007 Thoma pleaded pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence for punching his then-16-year-old son in the nose three times. According to a police report, Thoma and his son got into an argument that escalated into an assault at their home. The son called 911. A judge sentenced Thoma to probation, fines, court costs and anger-management class for that offense.
A Macomb County commissioner is to spend 30 weeks in domestic violence counseling under a plea deal stemming from a June confrontation with his girlfriend that ended in a car collision. Roland Fraschetti, a St. Clair Shores Republican, pleaded guilty Friday to reckless driving, a 90-day misdemeanor. The charge will be reduced to careless driving, a civil infraction, if he successfully completes the counseling. Fraschetti was accused of backing his SUV into his girlfriend's Saturn sedan with such force that it rolled onto the hood of the smaller car. The two had just argued and were in the driveway of a St. Clair Shores home owned by Fraschetti. No one was seriously injured. "The victim didn't want me to charge him at all," said Joseph McCarthy Jr. of the St. Clair County Prosecutor's Office, which handled the case because of Fraschetti's position in Macomb County. "I told her I have to do something to make sure this doesn't happen again." A judge will take Fraschetti's guilty plea under advisement while the commissioner attends weekly group counseling sessions run by Catholic Social Services of St. Clair County. Any failure to finish the program could result in a reckless driving conviction. Sebastian Lucido, Fraschetti's attorney, said his client considers the deal a proper end to what essentially was a car accident. "They got into an argument and it got heated, but he never laid a finger on her," Lucido said. "The man does not have a violent bone in his body." What really happened, Lucido said, is that "she was in a car behind him and just pulled up. When he hit the car, he was at fault." With the careless driving infraction, Fraschetti faces three points on his driving record and a $100 fine. He must also pay $750 for the counseling program, which is the same one Commissioner Kurt Kramer was ordered into after pleading no contest to assaulting his wife in June. Contact ALEXA CAPELOTO at 586-469-4935 or capeloto@freepress.com.
In June 2003, Wayland Firefighter Matthew Cook pled guilty to threatening his ex-girlfriend with a knife during a domestic assault. Cook was placed on probation and allowed to keep his job as a firefighter with the city of Wayland.
On February 23, 2004, while Firefighter Cook was still on probation for the 2003 domestic violence assault, he was caught downloading child pornography on a Wayland Fire Department computer. He was fired from the Wayland FD, and sentenced to 120 days in jail and 3 years probation.
On April 01, 2004, former Firefighter Cook sexually assaulted his ex-girlfriend. He was tried and sentenced for the crimes in 2008. Cook,"...engaged in a prolonged pattern of sexual abuse, which routinely involved choking complainant, pulling her hair, and subjecting her to abusive language, well supported the conclusion that defendant had treated complainant with conduct "designed to substantially increase the fear and anxiety," or subjecting her to "extreme or prolonged . . . humiliation . . . inflicted to produce suffering or for the offender’s gratification...That a knife threat eventually capped this campaign of intimidation and humiliation ..."
On March 01, 2008, former firefighter Matthew Cook was arrested for seeking the assistance of a prostitute in finding him a young girl. Cook also wanted the prostitute to hold the young girl down while he raped her.
ALSO SEE:
FIREFIGHTER MATTHEW COOK. March 01, 2007: Child pornography.
Matthew Cook appeals possible lifesentence By Advance Newspapers
December 21, 2009, 11:27AM http://www.mlive.com/penaseeglobe/index.ssf/2009/12/matthew_cook_appeals_possible.html Court of Appeals has ruled for Cook’s resentencing. Cook is currently in prison after attempting to hire a Grand Rapids prostitute to bring him a child between the ages of 10 and 12, for sexual purposes. Cook pleaded guilty to solicitation to commit first-degree criminal sexual conduct and attempting to procure and act of gross indecency between a male and female.
According to the Court of Appeals, Cook was sentenced as a “sexually delinquent person,” for seven years to life on the gross indecency conviction and as a second habitual offender, to a concurrent prison sentence of three to five years for the solicitation conviction. He was sentenced for the March 1, 2008 offense on Aug. 28, 2008. On Dec. 10, the State of Michigan Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Cook’s resentencing because of errors in procedural requirements regarding Cook’s sexual delinquency determination. A former Wayland volunteer firefighter, Cook served jail time for using a computer at the city’s Public Safety Building to access child sexually abusive material on the Internet. Cook also has three active prison sentences for Allegan County CSC offenses committed on April 1, 2004, for which he was sentenced on April 4, 2008 after a jury trial. He is serving up to 10 years for CSC assault with intent to commit sexual penetration, up to 15 years for CSC 3rd degree (force or coercion) and up 15 years for CSC 3rd degree (force or coercion).
Volunteer firefighter charged with child pornography
WTNH TV NEWS
March 16, 2004, 5:57 p.m. http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=1715181
... Cook, a volunteer firefighter in Wayland, turned himself into police on Tuesday, was charged in court, and later returned home.... Cook said very little as he was charged in court.
His ex-girlfriend was there to watch and told 24 Hour News 8 she knew about the problem for a long time and hoped Cook would get help. She said Cook knew what he was doing was wrong....
We also learned that Cook is currently on probation for a domestic violence charge he pled guilty to in June in Ottawa County. If convicted on these latest felony charges, he could face additional jail time for violating his probation.
