12142010 - Deputy Richard Zych - Sentenced - Benzie County SD

Also See:

Deputy Richard Zych charged charged with two counts of sexual assault [Dec. 17, 2009]

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2009/12/deputy-richard-zych-benzie-county-sd.html

Former Benzie Deputy Sentenced
Date: December 14, 2010
By Eric VanDussen
http://ipr.interlochen.org/ipr-news-features/episode/11358






A former Benzie County court officer has been sentenced to a year in jail.

Richard Zych pleaded guilty last month to one count of aggravated assault, under a plea deal. He was originally charged with three counts of fourth degree criminal sexual conduct.

District Judge John Foresman admonished Zych and handed down the maximum one-year sentence allowed under the plea agreement.

"You used your position as deputy sheriff to put her in a position which made her vulnerable. And that kind of conduct cannot be tolerated," Foresman told Zych in court Monday.

The prosecutor alleged that Zych used force and coercion while sexually assaulting a female victim on at least three occasions in 2009, manipulating his position over her.

Zych had worked in the Benzie County Sheriff's Department since 1997. The department terminated earlier this year.










Former deputy pleads guilty to aggravated assault
Posted: 11.29.2010 at 3:27 PM
Up North Live
http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=547396




A former Benzie County Corrections Deputy, accused of sexually assaulting a woman, pleaded guilty to Aggravated Assault Monday.


BEULAH -- A former Benzie County Corrections Deputy, accused of sexually assaulting a woman, pleaded guilty to Aggravated Assault Monday.

Rick Zych was accused of groping a woman three times after he pulled her over in a Sheriff's vehicle earlier this year.

As a part of the plea bargain Zych had to admit to at least one count of Criminal Sexual Conduct fourth degree.

Zych faces up to one year in jail when he is sentenced on December 20.

12132010 - Former Deputy John Yeska Jr - Sentenced - Saginaw County SD

Former Saginaw County deputy sentenced for sex crime in Bay County
Published: Monday, December 13, 2010, 3:31 PM
Updated: Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 9:39 AM
By LaNia Coleman
The Bay City Times
http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2010/12/former_saginaw_county_deputy_s.html

BAY CITY — A former Saginaw County Sheriff’s deputy is to spend time behind bars for a sex offense.

John T. Yeska Jr., who resigned as a deputy in 2003 after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Saginaw County, was sentenced today for a crime that occurred last year in Bay County.

Circuit Judge Kenneth W. Schmidt ordered the 40-year-old Saginaw Township man to serve 270 days in jail for gross indecency between a male and female, a five-year felony.

Yeska pleaded no contest in October. A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for the purpose of sentencing.

Schmidt also ordered Yeska to serve 90 days on electronic monitoring and five years on probation, prohibited him from using a computer for social networking purposes and ordered him to complete sex offender treatment.

The judge further deferred another 90 days in jail pending further order of the court and imposed $2,600 in fines and fees.

Yeska will not have to register as a sex offender because his victim was not a minor, prosecutors have said.

Yeska was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct causing injury, second-degree criminal sexual conduct causing injury and assault with intent to commit sexual penetration after a Hampton Township woman reported that he had sexually assaulted her Aug. 19, 2009, at her home.

The pair had met on an Internet networking site and met for the first time that day, according to reports.

After having dinner at a Bay City restaurant, Yeska drove the woman to her home, followed her inside and forced her to have sex with him, the victim told investigators.

Yeska had claimed the sexual encounter was consensual.

In January 2003, after seven years of service, Yeska resigned from the Saginaw County Sheriff's Department amid allegations he fondled a woman in his patrol car, Bay City Times archives show.

Though deputies investigated the matter, Saginaw County Prosecutor Michael D. Thomas denied a warrant request, citing insufficient evidence.











Former Saginaw County Sheriff's deputy facing sexual assault charges in Bay County accepts plea deal
Published: Tuesday, November 02, 2010, 10:00 AM
By Cole Waterman
The Bay City Times
http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2010/11/former_saginaw_county_sheriffs_1.html

John T. Yeska Jr.

BAY CITY — A former Saginaw County Sheriff’s deputy charged with several felony sex crimes in Bay County has accepted a plea offer, rather than have his case decided by a jury.

Tuesday, John T. Yeska Jr., 40, of Saginaw Township, appeared before Bay County Circuit Judge Kenneth W. Schmidt and pleaded no contest to gross indecency between a male and a female. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to dismiss single counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct causing injury, second-degree criminal sexual conduct causing injury and assault with intent to commit sexual penetration.

A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but is treated as such for the purpose of sentencing.

Though the charge Yeska pleaded to is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison, prosecutors are recommending he be sentenced to statutory probation, said Bay County Assistant Prosecutor J. Dee Brooks.

Before accepting his plea, Schmidt advised Yeska the recommended sentence could still include one year in jail and five years probation.

Yeska will not be required to register with the Michigan Sex Offender Registry, as his victim was not a minor, Brooks.

The charges against Yeska stem from an incident that occurred Aug. 19, 2009, in Hampton Township. On that day, Yeska went on a date with a local woman he had met on the Internet, court records show.

The woman told Hampton Township Police officers that on the drive back to her home, Yeska allegedly forced her head into his lap. Yeska then followed her inside her home and sexually assaulted her, the woman told police.

Yeska had claimed the sexual encounter was mutually consensual, Bay City Times archives show.

In January 2003, after seven years of service, Yeska resigned from the Saginaw County Sheriff’s Department amid allegations he fondled a woman in his patrol car, Times archives show.

The incident allegedly occurred in Pine Grove Park in Shiawassee County, where Yeska reportedly took the woman after a traffic stop in Oakley, Times archives show.

Though deputies investigated the matter, Saginaw County Prosecutor Michael D. Thomas denied a warrant request, citing insufficient evidence, Times archives show.

Schmidt is slated to sentence Yeska at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 13.

Trial or plea awaits former Saginaw County Sheriff's deputy charged with sexual assault in Bay County
Published: Saturday, October 30, 2010, 3:30 PM
By Cole Waterman
The Bay City Times
http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2010/10/trial_or_plea_awaits_former_sa.html

BAY CITY — A former Saginaw County Sheriff’s deputy facing felony sexual assault charges in Bay County is scheduled to either enter into a plea deal or face jury trial Tuesday.

John T. Yeska Jr., 40, of Saginaw Township, is charged with single counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct causing injury, second-degree criminal sexual conduct causing injury and assault with intent to commit sexual penetration, court records show.

Tuesday, he is slated to appear before Bay County Circuit Judge Kenneth W. Schmidt. If he does not accept a plea offer at that time, his case is likely to proceed to trial, court records indicate.

The charges against Yeska stem from an incident that occurred Aug. 19, 2009, in Hampton Township. On that night, Yeska met face-to-face with a local woman he allegedly first met on the Internet, court records show.

The two apparently went on a date at a Bay City restaurant then went to her home and engaged in a sexual encounter. Yeska has claimed the incident was mutually consensual, court records show.

In January 2003, after seven years of service, Yeska resigned from the Saginaw County Sheriff’s Department amid allegations he fondled a woman in his patrol car, Bay City Times archives show.

11302010 - Judge Lynda Tolen - Berrien County [retired]

Also See: Arrested for domestic violence

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2011/12/judge-lynda-tolen-berrien-county-retired.html



Retired Berrien County Judge Lynda Tolen:

2010: Arrested and charged for drunk driving. Placed on probation.

2010: Arrested for a second drunk driving charge while on probation for first DUI. Setenced to 20 days in jail.

November 30, 2010: State of Michigan suspended Tolen's license to practice law for 180 days [due to her DUI convictions].

December 22, 2011: Arrested for domestic violence.

       



 



Warren attorney reprimanded, Stevensville attorney suspended
December 4, 2010
Margaret Lucas Agius

ADB Tri-County Hearing Panel #106 reprimanded Warren attorney Sophie Modelski effective Dec. 1, 2010, the State of Michigan Attorney Discipline Board reported this week.

Modelski, licensed to practice law in Michigan in 1982, entered a plea of no contest to allegations that she neglected a bankruptcy matter, failed to seek the lawful objectives of her client, failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness, and failed to keep her client reasonably informed of the status of the matter. Based upon the stipulation of the parties, the panel reprimanded Modelski and assessed costs of $767.26.

In another recent Attorney Discipline Board action, Kalamazoo County Hearing Panel #4 suspended Stevensville attorney and former Fifth District Court Judge Lynda A. Tolen from the practice of law in Michigan for a period of 180 days effective Nov. 30, 2010.

Tolen’s misdemeanor conviction for operating while intoxicated formed the basis for the disciplinary action. Based upon the stipulation of the parties, the panel suspended Tolen for 180 days, imposed conditions relevant to the established misconduct, and assessed costs of $755.71.

           




 






Former judge in front of bench again
Lynda Tolen arraigned on domestic violence charge
Posted: Friday, December 30, 2011 12:00 am
Herald Palladium
http://www.heraldpalladium.com/localnews/former-judge-in-front-of-bench-again/article_4aa0a047-5eb1-5bac-b81c-aa597392e046.html

ST. JOSEPH - Retired Berrien County Trial Court Judge Lynda Tolen, who has faced drunk driving charges in the past, was back in court this week on charges of domestic violence.

Tolen, 60, of Stevensville, who retired in 2008 after 21 years as a judge, was arraigned Tuesday on the misdemeanor charge, according to a report from WNDU-TV.

The complaint, which Chief Assistant Prosecutor Michael Sepic showed to The Herald-Palladium, stated that Tolen had assaulted a woman named Lisa Brasseur.

The complaint lists Brasseur as a resident or former resident of the same household as Tolen.

Tolen was arrested Dec. 22 and released the next day on a $1,500 bond. On conviction, the charge carries a sentence of up to 93 days in jail and/or a $500,000 fine.

In 2010, while she was on probation for impaired driving in Leelanau County, Tolen was arrested in St. Joseph for drinking and driving.

Police reported she had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit.

That case was moved to St. Joseph County, and Tolen served 20 days in jail after being convicted on the charge.

Sepic told WNDU-TV that he has petitioned the state attorney general's office to disqualify his office from the most recent case because of Tolen's previous position with the court.

11242010 - Deputy Roderick Calhoun - Sentenced - Wayne County SD

Deputy Roderick Calhoun's mug shot.

Deputy Roderick Calhoun was charged with 11 felonies: 4 counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct [up to life in prison] ; 4 counts of third degree criminal sexual conduct [up to 15 years in prison] ; felony assault with intent to do great bodily harm [up to 10 years in prison]; felonious assault [4 years in prison]; and felony firearm [2 years in prison].

Deputy Calhoun's plea bargain: 1 count of third degree criminal sexual conduct [7-15 years in prison], and 1 count of felony firearms [2 years in prison]. The 9 remaining felony charges against Calhoun were dropped.

11092010 - Deputy Keith Melton - Muskegon County SD

Muskegon County Sheriff's Department deputy faces domestic violence charge
Published: Thursday, November 25, 2010, 4:50 AM
MLive
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2010/11/muskegon_county_sheriffs_deput_1.html

MUSKEGON — A longtime Muskegon County Sheriff’s deputy has been charged with domestic violence.

Keith Melton, 47, of Muskegon, a corrections officer for the Muskegon County Jail, was arraigned in Muskegon County’s 60th District Court on one count of first-offense domestic violence, a misdemeanor, before Judge Andrew Wierengo III.

The judge ordered a $3,000 signature bond. Melton entered a not guilty plea and indicated he’s hired his own attorney, according to court records.

A pretrial is slated for Nov. 29. Melton remains employed with the sheriff’s office while an internal investigation is ongoing.

According to Muskegon County Sheriff Dean Roesler, the incident occurred around 7:40 a.m. Nov. 9 at his ex-wife’s home in the 1500 block of Fifth Street.

“He was questioning his ex-wife about why their son wasn’t allowed to play basketball,” Roesler said. “That escalated into an argument. The allegation is that Melton entered the house uninvited and physically assaulted her by pushing her inside the house.”

The woman then reported the incident to police.

Roesler said Melton will be “disciplined internally.”

“We are reviewing the complaint internally and the appropriate disciplinary action will be taken,” Roesler said.

Melton could face anything from suspension to firing, he said.

Roesler said Melton has had “a clean record” and has been “a solid worker” prior to the allegations of the assault.

“I expect my staff to be professional on or off the job and to conduct themselves in a professional manner,” Roesler said. “This type of conduct is disappointing and it’s out of the norm for this particular employee.”






Michigan Officer Involved Domestic Violence