SENATOR DAVID JAYE POSTS:
On April 12, 2001, Senator David Jaye was arrested in Florida for assaulting his fiancée. Less than three weeks prior, Jaye had just had his Senate assignments restored to him, following his June 2000 conviction on his third drunk driving arrest.
At the time of the domestic assault, Senator Jaye was on probation for the the March 05, 2000 drunk driving arrest.
On May 24, 2001 the Michigan Senate voted to oust Senator David Jaye from office, due to his arrest for domestic violence and his three drunk driving convictions.
Senate suspends Jaye's committee jobs
The move is in reaction to his arrest in Florida
Grand Rapids Press
April 14, 2001
LANSING -- Michigan Sen. David Jaye, who last year served time in jail for drunken driving, was arraigned in Florida on charges of assaulting his fiancee. Now, his committee assignments have been suspended.
The fiancee, Sonia Kloss, said Jaye was arraigned Friday and was to be released from jail in the afternoon. Kloss said she would ask for the charges to be dropped and said she and Jaye plan to get married this year.
"I hope David will do the appropriate thing with whatever is necessary for that, even if it means that he does see a counselor," said Kloss, of Fort Myers, Fla.
Jaye, R-Washington Township (Macomb County), was booked and held overnight Thursday in the Lee County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery. Jaye's attorney, Robert Huth, said Jaye was beaten in jail Thursday and required stitches on his ear.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, said Friday he was immediately suspending Jaye's committee assignments, which were recently restored after the drunken driving sentence.
Jaye also is losing his Senate mail and travel privileges.
"We, in the Senate, take this very seriously," DeGrow said. "Senator Jaye's behavior is unacceptable."
Jaye is chairman of the Senate Hunting, Fishing and Forestry Committee. He also is a member of the Economic Development, International Trade and Regulatory Affairs Committee, the Families, Mental Health and Human Services Committee and the Financial Services Committee.
Jaye, 43, told police he didn't hit Kloss, 36.
Police: Jaye stopped after assault report
A witness at a gas station said he saw the state senator slap and kick his girlfriend, a police report says. Jaye was soon pulled over on Int. 75.
December 20, 2000
Grand Rapids Press, The (MI)
BAY CITY -- State troopers "had reason to believe that a life-threatening felony was being committed" by Sen. David Jaye and his brother Joseph when they detained the men on Int. 75 Nov. 19, according to a police report.
A man pumping gas at a service station told police that he saw a man -- later identified as Jaye -- slap and kick a woman before pushing her into his vehicle and speeding off, said the report.
Bay County officials filed an arrest warrant for Jaye, R-Washington Township, on Dec. 12, charging him with violating restrictions placed on his driver's license. The restrictions were from previous drunken driving convictions.
"Based on all the information provided to me, I do not believe that any other charge could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt," Bay County Prosecutor Joseph K. Sheeran said this morning.
Michigan State Police this morning provided a copy of the police report on the incident to The Bay City Times, which filed a Freedom of Information Act request for it on Monday.
The names and phone numbers of the witness who called police and the alleged victim were blocked out.
According to the report, a customer at the Mobil gas station at Int. 75 and Beaver Road in Monitor Township called police at 6:08 p.m. on Nov. 19, a Sunday.
The caller told police he had observed a man beat a woman before throwing her into his red Plymouth Sundance and heading south on the highway.
Once troopers pulled his vehicle over, Jaye told police that the woman -- whom he claimed was his fiancee -- had been taking too long in the women's rest room. He said he was returning to his Macomb County home after deer hunting and needed to get to the airport.
Jaye said he yelled at the woman and ordered her into the car, but that he didn't touch her.
The woman said she had been in the men's rest room at the gas station with two men and attempted to stand on the toilet seat and hide when Jaye entered the rest room.
Jaye became jealous when he saw her boots underneath a stall door, the woman said. She denied that he had physically assaulted her and stated that she just wanted to leave.
Troopers searched Jaye's 1989 vehicle with his consent, according to the report. They advised Jaye to place two long guns that were in the passenger compartment into his trunk.
"Due to the lack of cooperation by all parties involved, they were released," the trooper wrote.
The report says that Jaye told them he was on his way home from deer camp. When told that was a violation of his license restrictions, "Jaye stated that he was not in violation and that he had given a speech at Turtle Lake," a Montmorency County resort.
But Jaye produced no proof of being at Turtle Lake or of giving a speech, according to police.
Attorney Robert Huth Jr. said this morning that Jaye "has not done anything improper with respect to his driving," and that he had a sworn statement from organizers of the hunting meeting where Jaye spoke.
As far as the other allegations, Huth said, "I'm inclined to think that if there's any merit to it there would have been charges brought."
Jaye has waived arraignment and Huth said he expects his client to be found innocent or to have the case dismissed.
While a state representative in 1993, Jaye spent 10 days in jail after a drunken-driving conviction. Jaye was arrested March 5 in Macomb Township on his second drunken-driving offense. He was sentenced to 45 days but was released after 35 days in the St. Clair County Jail after being given time off for good behavior.
His restricted driver's license allowed him to drive only for work-related travel, medical and counseling appointments and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Senator Jaye Gets Assignments Restored
Republican Stripped Of Duties After Pleading Guilty To Drunken Driving
March 27, 2001
Click On Detroit
State Sen. David Jaye had his committee assignments restored Tuesday after completing an alcohol rehabilitation program.
Jaye, a Republican from Macomb County's Washington Township, Mich., was stripped of his Senate duties in June after pleading guilty to drunken driving. He was charged with driving on a restricted license six months later, but was cleared of those charges last week.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow restored Jaye as Chairman of the Senate Hunting, Fishing and Forestry Committee.
Jaye will also return to his membership on the Economic Development, International Trade and Regulatory Affairs Committee, the Families, Mental Health and Human Services Committee and the Senate Financial Services Committee.
Neither DeGrow nor Jaye commented on the restored positions.
Sen. Jaye back in key committee positions
He gets them back after he completes an alcohol rehabilitation program
Grand Rapids Press
March 29, 2001
LANSING -- State Sen. David Jaye, who was stripped of his Senate duties after pleading guilty to drunken driving, had his committee assignments and other privileges restored Tuesday after completing an alcohol rehabilitation program.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, restored Jaye as chairman of the Senate Hunting, Fishing and Forestry Committee.
Jaye also was returned to membership on the Economic Development, International Trade and Regulatory Affairs Committee, the Families, Mental Health and Human Services Committee and the Senate Financial Services Committee.
DeGrow made no comment in reassigning Jaye, and Jaye declined comment on his restored positions.
Jaye, R-Washington Township, lost his committee assignments and travel privileges in June, a week after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken-driving charge.
Six months later, Jaye was charged with driving on a restricted license, but he was cleared of those charges last week.
Bay County Prosecutor Joseph Sheeran said he had to dismiss the charges after a judge ruled that Jaye's statements couldn't be used because state police didn't read his Miranda rights at the scene.
DeGrow said he had little choice but to reinstate Jaye's committee memberships after Jaye was cleared of violating the license restrictions.
Jaye accused of hitting fiancée
Argus-Press
April 13, 2001
State Sen. David Jaye, who recently had his Senate duties restored after pleading guilty to drunken driving, was held in a Florida jail on a charged that he assaulted his fiancé, Florida authorities said.
Jaye, R-Washington Township, was booked and held Thursday in the Lee County Jail in Ft. Myers, Fla. on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery, Deputy Larry King said.
Jaye denied to police that he hit his fiancée.
Jaye, 43, and his fiancée, Sonia Kloss, 36, got into an argument over the location of a set of keys, police said. It turned physical about noon Thursday outside Kloss' home in Ft. Myers.
The deputy who responded to a 911 call saw Kloss had "cuts on her chin, bridge of her nose and left side of her jaw," the police report said.
A neighbor said in a written report that he saw Jaye hit Kloss.
Jaye's attorney, Robert Huth Jr., said Kloss has said she will ask that the charges be dropped.
"His mood was good," Huth told the Detroit Free Press. "He expects that this will be cleared up when law enforcement gets a chance to talk to Sonia again."
Jaye lost his committee assignments and travel privileges in June, a week after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail.
Six months later, Jaye was charged with driving on a restricted license, but was cleared of those charges last month after a judge ruled state police didn't read his Miranda rights at the scene.
"I'm relieved and glad that alcohol was not involved," Huth told The Detroit News.
Michigan lawmaker accused of assault goes before Florida judge
Jacksonville News
April 13, 2001
http://jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/041301/D7BBN1J80.html
LANSING, Mich. - State Sen. David Jaye, who last year served jail time for drunken driving and police said was beaten up in jail during his most recent arrest, appeared before a Florida judge Friday on charges of assaulting his fiancée.
The fiancée, Sonia Kloss, said Jaye was to be released from a Fort Myers jail in the afternoon. Kloss said she would ask for the charges to be dropped and said she and Jaye plan to get married this year.
"I hope David will do the appropriate thing with whatever is necessary for that, even if it means that he does see a counselor," said Kloss, who lives in Fort Myers.
Jaye, 43, told police he didn't hit Kloss, 36. Jaye's attorney, Robert Huth, said he was unsure whether the lawmaker would release a statement Friday.
Jaye's bond was set at $2,500 and had not been paid by 4:30 p.m. Friday, according to a Lee County Jail official. Jaye was still jailed at that time.
Jaye was booked and held overnight Thursday in the Lee County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery.
While at the jail, Jaye was punched Thursday by an inmate who thought Jaye stayed on the phone too long talking to Kloss and Huth, according to a report filed by Lee County sheriff's officials. Jaye was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital and got 24 stitches to close the one-inch cut.
"Jaye will require cosmetic surgery and the injury will cause permanent disfigurement," the report said. The inmate was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, said Friday he was immediately suspending Jaye's committee assignments. DeGrow had restored the assignments just two weeks ago after a previous suspension tied to Jaye's drunken driving conviction. Jaye also is losing his Senate mail and travel privileges.
"We, in the Senate, take this very seriously," DeGrow said in a news release. "Senator Jaye's behavior is unacceptable."
Jaye was chairman of the Senate Hunting, Fishing and Forestry Committee. He also was a member of the Economic Development, International Trade and Regulatory Affairs Committee, the Families, Mental Health and Human Services Committee and the Financial Services Committee.
According to statements filed with police, Jaye and Kloss got into an argument over the location of a set of keys. The argument turned physical about noon Thursday outside Kloss' home in Fort Myers.
The deputy who responded to a 911 call wrote in a report that Kloss had "cuts on her chin, bridge of her nose and left side of her jaw." A neighbor also filed a statement with police saying he saw Jaye hit Kloss.
According to Lee County Sheriff's Deputy Beth Schell, Florida law does allow Jaye to be prosecuted even if Kloss asks that the charge be dropped.
"Florida recently changed the law, so we can prosecute anyway," Schell said. "Domestic violence has become such a serious issue, and sometimes victims don't go further with the prosecution."
Huth, however, said the state may not win its case if Kloss doesn't press charges. "It's hard for the prosecution to go forward without the alleged victim," Huth said.
Jaye first lost his committee assignments and travel privileges last June, a week after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge, his second in eight years. He was sentenced to 45 days in the St. Clair County Jail, but was released after 35 after being given time off for good behavior.
Six months later, Jaye was pulled over after a motorist reported that he hit a woman at a Bay County gas station. He was charged with driving on a restricted license, but was cleared of those charges last month after a judge ruled state police didn't read him his Miranda rights at the scene.
Jaye served nine years in the state House before winning the Senate seat of the late Doug Carl in a 1997 special election. Jaye was re-elected to the Senate in 1998 and is eligible to run for one more four-year term in 2002 under term limits.
Jaye hit fiancée, Fla cop reports he's jailed
Detroit Free Press
April 13, 2001
State Sen. David Jaye will wake up this morning in jail in Ft. Myers, Fla., where he is expected to face a charge that he beat his fiancee Thursday during a fight over a set of keys, Florida authorities said. Jaye, a Republican from Washington Township in Macomb County, was booked and held Thursday in the Lee County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery, Deputy Larry King said. Jaye denied to police that he hit his fiancée. Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port
Argus-Press
April 13, 2001
State Sen. David Jaye, who recently had his Senate duties restored after pleading guilty to drunken driving, was held in a Florida jail on a charged that he assaulted his fiancé, Florida authorities said.
Jaye, R-Washington Township, was booked and held Thursday in the Lee County Jail in Ft. Myers, Fla. on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery, Deputy Larry King said.
Jaye denied to police that he hit his fiancée.
Jaye, 43, and his fiancée, Sonia Kloss, 36, got into an argument over the location of a set of keys, police said. It turned physical about noon Thursday outside Kloss' home in Ft. Myers.
The deputy who responded to a 911 call saw Kloss had "cuts on her chin, bridge of her nose and left side of her jaw," the police report said.
A neighbor said in a written report that he saw Jaye hit Kloss.
Jaye's attorney, Robert Huth Jr., said Kloss has said she will ask that the charges be dropped.
"His mood was good," Huth told the Detroit Free Press. "He expects that this will be cleared up when law enforcement gets a chance to talk to Sonia again."
Jaye lost his committee assignments and travel privileges in June, a week after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail.
Six months later, Jaye was charged with driving on a restricted license, but was cleared of those charges last month after a judge ruled state police didn't read his Miranda rights at the scene.
"I'm relieved and glad that alcohol was not involved," Huth told The Detroit News.
Jacksonville News
April 13, 2001
http://jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/041301/D7BBN1J80.html
LANSING, Mich. - State Sen. David Jaye, who last year served jail time for drunken driving and police said was beaten up in jail during his most recent arrest, appeared before a Florida judge Friday on charges of assaulting his fiancée.
The fiancée, Sonia Kloss, said Jaye was to be released from a Fort Myers jail in the afternoon. Kloss said she would ask for the charges to be dropped and said she and Jaye plan to get married this year.
"I hope David will do the appropriate thing with whatever is necessary for that, even if it means that he does see a counselor," said Kloss, who lives in Fort Myers.
Jaye, 43, told police he didn't hit Kloss, 36. Jaye's attorney, Robert Huth, said he was unsure whether the lawmaker would release a statement Friday.
Jaye's bond was set at $2,500 and had not been paid by 4:30 p.m. Friday, according to a Lee County Jail official. Jaye was still jailed at that time.
Jaye was booked and held overnight Thursday in the Lee County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery.
While at the jail, Jaye was punched Thursday by an inmate who thought Jaye stayed on the phone too long talking to Kloss and Huth, according to a report filed by Lee County sheriff's officials. Jaye was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital and got 24 stitches to close the one-inch cut.
"Jaye will require cosmetic surgery and the injury will cause permanent disfigurement," the report said. The inmate was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, said Friday he was immediately suspending Jaye's committee assignments. DeGrow had restored the assignments just two weeks ago after a previous suspension tied to Jaye's drunken driving conviction. Jaye also is losing his Senate mail and travel privileges.
"We, in the Senate, take this very seriously," DeGrow said in a news release. "Senator Jaye's behavior is unacceptable."
Jaye was chairman of the Senate Hunting, Fishing and Forestry Committee. He also was a member of the Economic Development, International Trade and Regulatory Affairs Committee, the Families, Mental Health and Human Services Committee and the Financial Services Committee.
According to statements filed with police, Jaye and Kloss got into an argument over the location of a set of keys. The argument turned physical about noon Thursday outside Kloss' home in Fort Myers.
The deputy who responded to a 911 call wrote in a report that Kloss had "cuts on her chin, bridge of her nose and left side of her jaw." A neighbor also filed a statement with police saying he saw Jaye hit Kloss.
According to Lee County Sheriff's Deputy Beth Schell, Florida law does allow Jaye to be prosecuted even if Kloss asks that the charge be dropped.
"Florida recently changed the law, so we can prosecute anyway," Schell said. "Domestic violence has become such a serious issue, and sometimes victims don't go further with the prosecution."
Huth, however, said the state may not win its case if Kloss doesn't press charges. "It's hard for the prosecution to go forward without the alleged victim," Huth said.
Jaye first lost his committee assignments and travel privileges last June, a week after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge, his second in eight years. He was sentenced to 45 days in the St. Clair County Jail, but was released after 35 after being given time off for good behavior.
Six months later, Jaye was pulled over after a motorist reported that he hit a woman at a Bay County gas station. He was charged with driving on a restricted license, but was cleared of those charges last month after a judge ruled state police didn't read him his Miranda rights at the scene.
Jaye served nine years in the state House before winning the Senate seat of the late Doug Carl in a 1997 special election. Jaye was re-elected to the Senate in 1998 and is eligible to run for one more four-year term in 2002 under term limits.
Jaye hit fiancée, Fla cop reports he's jailed
Detroit Free Press
April 13, 2001
State Sen. David Jaye will wake up this morning in jail in Ft. Myers, Fla., where he is expected to face a charge that he beat his fiancee Thursday during a fight over a set of keys, Florida authorities said. Jaye, a Republican from Washington Township in Macomb County, was booked and held Thursday in the Lee County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery, Deputy Larry King said. Jaye denied to police that he hit his fiancée. Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port
David Jaye jailed on battery charge
Controversial Mich. lawmaker accused of striking fiancee
Detroit News
April 13, 2001
FORT MYERS, Fla . -- Controversial Michigan State Sen. David Jaye was arrested and held overnight Thursday in a Florida county jail on charges he assaulted his fiancee.
Jaye's fiancee, Jameela Kloss, 36, of Fort Myers, told Lee County sheriff's deputies that she and the Washington Township Republican had gotten into an argument about noon over the location of a set of keys.
The dispute "escalated into a physical altercation," the deputies wrote, which resulted in Jaye, 42, striking the woman with his fist. She suffered cuts to her chin, bridge of her nose and jaw, according to the deputies' report.
Jaye was arrested on a charge of domestic violence and battery.
Kloss on Thursday night described the incident as minor.
When asked if she and Jaye still planned to be married, Kloss replied: "Supposedly."
"I think the charge will be dismissed," she said from her home in Fort Myers. "But I can't make any more comment beyond that."
Jaye's Michigan attorney, Robert Huth, said he was told that Kloss will go to court today in Fort Myers and get the charges dismissed.
"I'm relieved and glad that alcohol was not involved," Huth said. Jaye has two drunken driving convictions in Michigan.
"I talked to David today and he is in good spirits," Huth said.
Just six months ago, Jaye was stopped by Michigan State Police near Bay City when a witness reported seeing a man shoving and kicking a woman, who turned out to be Kloss, into his car at a gas station near Interstate 75.
Both Jaye and Kloss, who was a passenger in the car, denied to state troopers that an assault had occurred. Jaye was not charged with attacking Kloss, but with driving on a restricted license because of a drunk driving conviction earlier in the year.
That charge was dismissed because the trooper had failed to read Jaye his rights.
Deputies were called to Kloss' home on Sunrise Boulevard Thursday by a witness to the alleged incident. Huth said the witness was a cab driver.
At that time Kloss told deputies she "was victim to Jaye's physical abuse on prior occasions and was in fear of future violence," the deputies wrote in their report.
Jaye denied striking Kloss. He was taken to the Lee County Jail and held pending further investigation into the incident and possible arraignment.
Kloss refused medical treatment.
Jaye has long been controversial in Macomb County and Michigan politics for his conservative views on such issues as affirmative action and gun owners' rights and his problems with alcohol.
He served 10 days in jail in 1993 for his first drunk driving conviction and another 35 days in jail last year after his second conviction.
His driver's license was restricted last June following the second conviction. He was limited to driving between home and work, and was ordered alcohol treatment or community support meetings and community service when he was stopped in November in Bay County.
Lawmaker accused of assault
Grand Rapids Press
April 13, 2001
State Sen. David Jaye, who recently had his Senate duties restored after pleading guilty to drunken driving, was held in a Florida jail on a charge that he assaulted his fiancee, Florida authorities said.
Jaye, R-Washington Township, was booked and held Thursday in the Lee County Jail in Ft. Myers, Fla. on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery, Deputy Larry King said.
Jaye denied to police that he hit his fiancee.
Jaye, 43, and his fiancee, Sonia Kloss, 36, got into an argument over the location of a set of keys, police said. It turned physical about noon Thursday outside Kloss' home in Ft. Myers.
The deputy who responded to a 911 call saw Kloss had "cuts on her chin, bridge of her nose and left side of her jaw," the police report said.
A neighbor said in a written report that he saw Jaye hit Kloss.
Jaye's attorney, Robert Huth Jr., said Kloss has said she will ask that the charges be dropped.
Troubled state senator back in jail — this time in Florida
Muskegon Chronicle
April 13, 2001
State Sen. David Jaye, who recently had his Senate duties restored after pleading guilty to drunken driving, was held in a Florida jail on a charge that he assaulted his fiancee, Florida authorities said.
Jaye, R-Washington Township, was booked and held Thursday in the Lee County Jail in Fort Myers, Fla., on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery, Deputy Larry King said.
Jaye denied to police that he hit his fiancee.
Jaye, 43, and his fiancee, Sonia Kloss, 36, got into an argument over the location of a set of keys, police said. It turned physical about noon Thursday outside Kloss’ home in Fort Myers.
The deputy who responded to a 911 call saw Kloss had “cuts on her chin, bridge of her nose and left side of her jaw,” the police report said.
A neighbor said in a written report that he saw Jaye hit Kloss.
Jaye’s attorney, Robert Huth Jr., said Kloss has said she will ask that the charges be dropped.
“His mood was good,” Huth said. “He expects that this will be cleared up when law enforcement gets a chance to talk to Sonia again.”
Jaye lost his committee assignments and travel privileges in June, a week after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge. He was also sentenced to 45 days in jail.
Six months later, Jaye was charged with driving on a restricted license, but he was cleared of those charges last month after a judge ruled state police didn’t read his Miranda rights at the scene.
“I’m relieved and glad that alcohol was not involved,” Huth said.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, who restored Jaye as chairman of the Senate Hunting, Fishing and Forestry Committee, said Thursday he would reserve judgment until he hears more about the Florida incident.
“If it’s true, I’m extremely disappointed,” DeGrow said. “Beyond that, I’m not going to prejudge. I have to get all the facts.”
State senator arraigned on assault charges
Ludington Daily news
April 14, 2001
Lansing, Mich [AP]- State Sen. David Jaye, who last year served time for drunken driving, was charged Friday in Florida with assaulting his fiancee.
The fiancée, Sonia Kloss, said she would ask for the charges to be dropped. The Fort Myers, Fla., woman said she and Jaye plan to get married this year.
"I hope David will do the appropriate thing with whatever is necessary for that, even if it means that he does see a counselor," Kloss said.
Jaye, 43, told a Lee County [Fla.] sheriff's deputy that he didn't hit Kloss, 36.
But Jaye was arrested about noon Thursday after Kloss said he struck her in the face, and a witness gave a statement confirming her claim, according to arrest records.
Jaye was booked and jailed overnight Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery.
He was released in the afternoon after posting a $2,500 bond, said Deputy Larry King, a department spokesman.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, said Friday he was immediately suspending Jaye's committee assignments.
DeGrow had restored the assignments just two weeks ago after a previous suspension tied to Jaye's drunken driving conviction.
Fellow inmate slams Jaye's ear
Senator has surgery
Detroit Free Press
Ludington Daily news
April 14, 2001
Lansing, Mich [AP]- State Sen. David Jaye, who last year served time for drunken driving, was charged Friday in Florida with assaulting his fiancee.
The fiancée, Sonia Kloss, said she would ask for the charges to be dropped. The Fort Myers, Fla., woman said she and Jaye plan to get married this year.
"I hope David will do the appropriate thing with whatever is necessary for that, even if it means that he does see a counselor," Kloss said.
Jaye, 43, told a Lee County [Fla.] sheriff's deputy that he didn't hit Kloss, 36.
But Jaye was arrested about noon Thursday after Kloss said he struck her in the face, and a witness gave a statement confirming her claim, according to arrest records.
Jaye was booked and jailed overnight Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery.
He was released in the afternoon after posting a $2,500 bond, said Deputy Larry King, a department spokesman.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, said Friday he was immediately suspending Jaye's committee assignments.
DeGrow had restored the assignments just two weeks ago after a previous suspension tied to Jaye's drunken driving conviction.
Senator has surgery
Detroit Free Press
April 14, 2001
Not long after state Sen. David Jaye was arrested on charges that he beat his fiancee in Florida on Thursday, he found himself on the receiving end of a disfiguring attack by a cell mate who wanted the telephone Jaye was using. When Jaye didn't comply, the 27-year-old inmate punched the phone against the side of Jaye's head, according to a statement Friday by the Lee County Sheriff's Department. Five inmates looked on as Jaye, who was talking to his...
Jaye Posts Bond On Domestic Abuse Charge
Lawmakers Take Action Against Senator
Click On Detroit
Not long after state Sen. David Jaye was arrested on charges that he beat his fiancee in Florida on Thursday, he found himself on the receiving end of a disfiguring attack by a cell mate who wanted the telephone Jaye was using. When Jaye didn't comply, the 27-year-old inmate punched the phone against the side of Jaye's head, according to a statement Friday by the Lee County Sheriff's Department. Five inmates looked on as Jaye, who was talking to his...
Jaye Posts Bond On Domestic Abuse Charge
Lawmakers Take Action Against Senator
Click On Detroit
April 14, 2001
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/658508/detail.html
Troubled state Sen. David Jaye was released from a Florida jail Friday following a domestic dispute involving his fiancee. Jaye, R-Washington Township, was booked and held Thursday at the Lee County Jail in Ft. Myers on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery, authorities said. A judge ordered that he stay away from his fiancée and attend a domestic abuse program.
While jailed in Florida, another inmate allegedly beat Jaye with a telephone because Jaye was on it too long, according to Robert Huth, Jaye's lawyer. Jaye was in danger of losing part of his ear, and will see a plastic surgeon, Huth said.
Jaye was rushed to the emergency room after the incident, according to Huth. He received 30 stitches in his ear. Jaye was scheduled to go to a plastic surgeon Friday afternoon, Huth said. Jaye, 43, and his fiancee, Sonia Kloss, 36, got into an argument over where a set of keys was located, according to police. Jaye's lawyer claims that the argument was about whether Kloss should get into a cab. The argument turned physical around noon Thursday outside Kloss' home in Ft. Myers. Jaye told police that he did not hit Kloss.
The police report said that Kloss had "cuts on her chin, bridge of her nose and left side of her jaw." Huth said that the senator did not hit Kloss and that Jaye was not drunk at the time. However, Huth could not say how Kloss allegedly suffered her injuries. A neighbor said in a written report that he saw Jaye hit Kloss. Huth told the Detroit Free Press that Kloss said that she will ask for charges to be dropped.
Jaye pleaded guilty in June to a misdemeanor drunken-driving charge. He served 45 days in jail. The Senate leadership also stripped him of his committee assignments and travel privileges. Jaye was charged with driving on a restricted license six months later. He was cleared of those charges when a judge ruled that state police did not read him his Miranda rights on the scene.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, who recently restored Jaye to his position on the Senate Hunting, Fishing and Forestry Committee, said that he was immediately suspending Jaye's committee assignments. Jaye is also losing his Senate mail and travel privileges. "We in the Senate take this very seriously. Senator Jaye's behavior is unacceptable," DeGrow said.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/658508/detail.html
Troubled state Sen. David Jaye was released from a Florida jail Friday following a domestic dispute involving his fiancee. Jaye, R-Washington Township, was booked and held Thursday at the Lee County Jail in Ft. Myers on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery, authorities said. A judge ordered that he stay away from his fiancée and attend a domestic abuse program.
While jailed in Florida, another inmate allegedly beat Jaye with a telephone because Jaye was on it too long, according to Robert Huth, Jaye's lawyer. Jaye was in danger of losing part of his ear, and will see a plastic surgeon, Huth said.
Jaye was rushed to the emergency room after the incident, according to Huth. He received 30 stitches in his ear. Jaye was scheduled to go to a plastic surgeon Friday afternoon, Huth said. Jaye, 43, and his fiancee, Sonia Kloss, 36, got into an argument over where a set of keys was located, according to police. Jaye's lawyer claims that the argument was about whether Kloss should get into a cab. The argument turned physical around noon Thursday outside Kloss' home in Ft. Myers. Jaye told police that he did not hit Kloss.
The police report said that Kloss had "cuts on her chin, bridge of her nose and left side of her jaw." Huth said that the senator did not hit Kloss and that Jaye was not drunk at the time. However, Huth could not say how Kloss allegedly suffered her injuries. A neighbor said in a written report that he saw Jaye hit Kloss. Huth told the Detroit Free Press that Kloss said that she will ask for charges to be dropped.
Jaye pleaded guilty in June to a misdemeanor drunken-driving charge. He served 45 days in jail. The Senate leadership also stripped him of his committee assignments and travel privileges. Jaye was charged with driving on a restricted license six months later. He was cleared of those charges when a judge ruled that state police did not read him his Miranda rights on the scene.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, who recently restored Jaye to his position on the Senate Hunting, Fishing and Forestry Committee, said that he was immediately suspending Jaye's committee assignments. Jaye is also losing his Senate mail and travel privileges. "We in the Senate take this very seriously. Senator Jaye's behavior is unacceptable," DeGrow said.
David Jaye Refuses To Quit
Washington Township Republican Arrested Last Week
Click on Detroit
Washington Township Republican Arrested Last Week
Click on Detroit
April 15, 2001
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/713815/detail.html
State Sen. David Jaye is heading back to the Legislature four days after his Florida arrest for allegedly assaulting his fiancée.
The Washington Township Republican spoke out Tuesday morning in Lansing. He's charged with a misdemeanor for hitting his fiancée, Sonia Kloss, 36, outside her Florida home last week. Jaye (pictured, left), 43, said that there is stress from a long-distance relationship, but the police report is wrong in saying that he struck her.
Jaye's lawyer said that the couple plans to get counseling. While jailed, Jaye was attacked and needed 24 stitches to repair an injured ear.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow suspended Jaye's committee assignments on Friday, the day after the arrest. DeGrow had restored the assignments just two weeks earlier after Jaye had lost them after a drunken-driving conviction. Jaye planned to attend Tuesday's Senate session.
Michigan lawmaker accused of assault goes before judge
Polk On Line
Sunday, April 15, 2001
http://www.polkonline.com/stories/041501/sta_jaye.shtml
LANSING, Mich. -- State Sen. David Jaye, who last year served jail time for drunken driving and police said was beaten up in jail during his most recent arrest, was charged Friday in Florida with assaulting his fiancee.
The fiancee, Sonia Kloss, said she would ask for the charges to be dropped. The Fort Myers woman said she and Jaye plan to get married this year.
"I hope David will do the appropriate thing with whatever is necessary for that, even if it means that he does see a counselor," Kloss said.
Jaye, 43, told a Lee County sheriff's deputy that he didn't hit Kloss, 36. But Jaye was arrested in Fort Myers about noon Thursday after Kloss said he struck her in the face, and a witness gave a statement confirming her claim, according to arrest records.
Jaye was booked and jailed overnight Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery. He was released in the afternoon after posting a $2,500 bond, said Deputy Larry King, a department spokesman.
Jaye's attorney, Robert Huth of Mount Clemens, said he was unsure whether the lawmaker would release a statement Friday.
While at the jail, Jaye was punched Thursday by an inmate who thought Jaye stayed on the phone too long talking to Kloss and Huth, according to a report filed by sheriff's officials. Jaye was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital and got 24 stitches to close the one-inch cut.
"Jaye will require cosmetic surgery and the injury will cause permanent disfigurement," the report said. The inmate was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, said Friday he was immediately suspending Jaye's committee assignments. DeGrow had restored the assignments just two weeks ago after a previous suspension tied to Jaye's drunken driving conviction. Jaye also is losing his Senate mail and travel privileges.
"We, in the Senate, take this very seriously," DeGrow said in a news release. "Senator Jaye's behavior is unacceptable."
Jaye was chairman of the Senate Hunting, Fishing and Forestry Committee. He also was a member of the Economic Development, International Trade and Regulatory Affairs Committee, the Families, Mental Health and Human Services Committee and the Financial Services Committee.
According to statements filed with police, Jaye and Kloss got into an argument over the location of a set of keys. The argument turned physical about noon Thursday outside Kloss' home in Fort Myers.
The deputy who responded to a 911 call wrote in a report that Kloss had "cuts on her chin, bridge of her nose and left side of her jaw." A neighbor also filed a statement with police saying he saw Jaye hit Kloss.
According to Lee County Sheriff's Deputy Beth Schell, Florida law does allow Jaye to be prosecuted even if Kloss asks that the charge be dropped.
"Florida recently changed the law, so we can prosecute anyway," Schell said. "Domestic violence has become such a serious issue, and sometimes victims don't go further with the prosecution."
Huth, however, said the state may not win its case if Kloss doesn't press charges. "It's hard for the prosecution to go forward without the alleged victim," Huth said.
Jaye first lost his committee assignments and travel privileges last June, a week after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge, his second in eight years. He was sentenced to 45 days in the St. Clair County Jail, but was released after 35 after being given time off for good behavior.
Six months later, Jaye was pulled over after a motorist reported that he hit a woman at a Bay County gas station. He was charged with driving on a restricted license, but was cleared of those charges last month after a judge ruled state police didn't read him his Miranda rights at the scene.
Jaye served nine years in the state House before winning the Senate seat of the late Doug Carl in a 1997 special election. Jaye was re-elected to the Senate in 1998 and is eligible to run for one more four-year term in 2002 under term limits.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/713815/detail.html
State Sen. David Jaye is heading back to the Legislature four days after his Florida arrest for allegedly assaulting his fiancée.
The Washington Township Republican spoke out Tuesday morning in Lansing. He's charged with a misdemeanor for hitting his fiancée, Sonia Kloss, 36, outside her Florida home last week. Jaye (pictured, left), 43, said that there is stress from a long-distance relationship, but the police report is wrong in saying that he struck her.
Jaye's lawyer said that the couple plans to get counseling. While jailed, Jaye was attacked and needed 24 stitches to repair an injured ear.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow suspended Jaye's committee assignments on Friday, the day after the arrest. DeGrow had restored the assignments just two weeks earlier after Jaye had lost them after a drunken-driving conviction. Jaye planned to attend Tuesday's Senate session.
Michigan lawmaker accused of assault goes before judge
Polk On Line
Sunday, April 15, 2001
http://www.polkonline.com/stories/041501/sta_jaye.shtml
LANSING, Mich. -- State Sen. David Jaye, who last year served jail time for drunken driving and police said was beaten up in jail during his most recent arrest, was charged Friday in Florida with assaulting his fiancee.
The fiancee, Sonia Kloss, said she would ask for the charges to be dropped. The Fort Myers woman said she and Jaye plan to get married this year.
"I hope David will do the appropriate thing with whatever is necessary for that, even if it means that he does see a counselor," Kloss said.
Jaye, 43, told a Lee County sheriff's deputy that he didn't hit Kloss, 36. But Jaye was arrested in Fort Myers about noon Thursday after Kloss said he struck her in the face, and a witness gave a statement confirming her claim, according to arrest records.
Jaye was booked and jailed overnight Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery. He was released in the afternoon after posting a $2,500 bond, said Deputy Larry King, a department spokesman.
Jaye's attorney, Robert Huth of Mount Clemens, said he was unsure whether the lawmaker would release a statement Friday.
While at the jail, Jaye was punched Thursday by an inmate who thought Jaye stayed on the phone too long talking to Kloss and Huth, according to a report filed by sheriff's officials. Jaye was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital and got 24 stitches to close the one-inch cut.
"Jaye will require cosmetic surgery and the injury will cause permanent disfigurement," the report said. The inmate was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, said Friday he was immediately suspending Jaye's committee assignments. DeGrow had restored the assignments just two weeks ago after a previous suspension tied to Jaye's drunken driving conviction. Jaye also is losing his Senate mail and travel privileges.
"We, in the Senate, take this very seriously," DeGrow said in a news release. "Senator Jaye's behavior is unacceptable."
Jaye was chairman of the Senate Hunting, Fishing and Forestry Committee. He also was a member of the Economic Development, International Trade and Regulatory Affairs Committee, the Families, Mental Health and Human Services Committee and the Financial Services Committee.
According to statements filed with police, Jaye and Kloss got into an argument over the location of a set of keys. The argument turned physical about noon Thursday outside Kloss' home in Fort Myers.
The deputy who responded to a 911 call wrote in a report that Kloss had "cuts on her chin, bridge of her nose and left side of her jaw." A neighbor also filed a statement with police saying he saw Jaye hit Kloss.
According to Lee County Sheriff's Deputy Beth Schell, Florida law does allow Jaye to be prosecuted even if Kloss asks that the charge be dropped.
"Florida recently changed the law, so we can prosecute anyway," Schell said. "Domestic violence has become such a serious issue, and sometimes victims don't go further with the prosecution."
Huth, however, said the state may not win its case if Kloss doesn't press charges. "It's hard for the prosecution to go forward without the alleged victim," Huth said.
Jaye first lost his committee assignments and travel privileges last June, a week after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge, his second in eight years. He was sentenced to 45 days in the St. Clair County Jail, but was released after 35 after being given time off for good behavior.
Six months later, Jaye was pulled over after a motorist reported that he hit a woman at a Bay County gas station. He was charged with driving on a restricted license, but was cleared of those charges last month after a judge ruled state police didn't read him his Miranda rights at the scene.
Jaye served nine years in the state House before winning the Senate seat of the late Doug Carl in a 1997 special election. Jaye was re-elected to the Senate in 1998 and is eligible to run for one more four-year term in 2002 under term limits.
More jail time will hopefully show Sen. Jaye error of his ways
Detroit News
April 15, 2001
In the tough, unforgiving world of private American employment, State Sen. David Jaye probably wouldn't have a job.
But Jaye toils in state government, where there's often affirmative action for public officials who make mistakes.
Jaye has built his legislative career by playing the bad boy Republican of Macomb County -- opposed to preferential treatment for all minorities, except hunters and fishermen.
With a penchant for expressing himself in over-the-top, cartoon-like terms, he's been labeled a dinosaur in straight news stories. The National Organization for Women once gave him a Turkey Award. And colleagues in 1992 named him the least-popular member of their peerage.
Yet the amused modifiers that once serviceably yet politely described Jaye -- feisty, outspoken, controversial, conservative -- aren't doing the trick these days.
They seem awfully pallid when applied to a guy who's been arrested or detained four times since last June -- once on drunk-driving charges, twice for suspected physical abuse of his girlfriend, once for violating probation terms by driving.
Jaye hates crime, criminals and any kind of namby-pamby treatment of either. He's intolerant of "make-nice" approaches to social problems. He's an "off-with-their-heads" kind of guy.
To give you some idea, he -- the now-twice accused woman-beater -- opposed state funding for domestic abuse shelters, arguing that they discriminate by sex. He once stymied legislators hoping to help seniors during a heat wave with a provision barring state funds from being used for air-conditioning.
Let 'em sweat, was his approach.
On Thursday, Jaye was jailed for the third time in a year, this time for allegedly assaulting his fiancee, Sonia Kloss, in front of her home in Fort Myers, Fla. On Friday, he appeared in court with his head bandaged. A prisoner assaulted him after they argued over use of the jail telephone.
Which brings to mind some of Jaye's 1997 suggested prison reforms, including chain gangs for low-risk prisoners and eliminating prison games so that prisoners "generate their own electricity by pedaling bikes/generators."
For prisoners "trying to kill each other," he suggested a do-not-resuscitate order.
The worst punishment that Jaye might face would be his own: To be treated the way he's fought for others to be treated -- with the absence of tolerance or mercy or compassion that is Jaye's political calling card.
Without the protection of civil rights legislation or that (in Jaye-ology) particularly noxious vestige of the Warren Court, the Miranda rule, which requires police to read suspects their rights before interrogations.
Jaye blithely invoked an officer's failure to read him his rights in November -- and got his probation violation charge dismissed.
I'd like to see a kinder, gentler Jaye emerge from all of this -- a man who respects himself and others, who drops the gun-toting, macho, race-baiting bluster in favor of a little humanity.
Until then, I like to think he's working hard on the language for that do-not-resuscitate prisoners bill.
Code Blue, Sen. Jaye.
Sen. Jaye gets a bit of help from Dr. Melfi
Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
April 16, 2001
"I hope David will do the appropriate thing with whatever is necessary for that, even if it means that he does see a counselor." -- Jameela (Sonia) Kloss, speaking to a reporter last Friday after her fiancé, state Sen. David Jaye, R-Washington Township, was arraigned on a charge of domestic violence battery in Florida The scene is a sunlit, paneled room in a suburban office park. Dr. Jennifer Melfi closes a manila folder on her desk, walks across the room and...
"I hope David will do the appropriate thing with whatever is necessary for that, even if it means that he does see a counselor." -- Jameela (Sonia) Kloss, speaking to a reporter last Friday after her fiancé, state Sen. David Jaye, R-Washington Township, was arraigned on a charge of domestic violence battery in Florida The scene is a sunlit, paneled room in a suburban office park. Dr. Jennifer Melfi closes a manila folder on her desk, walks across the room and...
Senator accused of assaulting fiancée returns to Legislative session Tuesday
Ludington Daily News
April 17, 2001
Lansing, Mich [AP] - David Jaye, who was charged last week with assaulting his fiancee in Florida, on Tuesday denied any physical altercation with the woman and said he has no plans to resign from the state Senate.
"I want to make clear that this dispute involved no hitting, no striking, no pushing, no shoving, no assault," the Republican from Macomb County's Washington Township said.
When asked at a Tuesday morning news conference if he had a "spousal abuse problem," Jaye responded, "No, I do not."
Jaye was booked and jailed overnight last Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery after police responded to a 911 call on a reported dispute between Jaye and his fiancée, Sonia Kloss, 36. He was released Friday after she posted his $2,500 bond.
Jaye, 43, said the police reports "do not accurately reflect the events of that morning."
In a statement released later Tuesday morning, Jaye said the police pressured Kloss to "use words in the report she did not want to use."
While in the Lee County Jail in Florida, Jaye was attacked and needed 24 stitches to repair his injured ear, according to a report filed by sheriff's officials. He plans to get further surgery on his injured ear, said his defense lawyer, Robert Huth.
A jail inmate was charged with aggravated battery after witnesses said he struck Jaye because he thought the senator was using the phone for too long.
"Jaye, who termed the Florida incident "inappropriate," said he and Kloss have experienced stress from their long-distance relationship.
"I am in love with a very strong-willed, independent, passionate, beautiful woman, Sonia Kloss.
On Monday, Sen. Leon Stille, R-Spring Lake, called Jaye "an embarrassment" and said he is considering creating an expulsion resolution.
"The rules are pretty clear," Stille told the Detroit News for a story on Tuesday. "The Senate has the responsibility for keeping its house clean."
After the news conference, Jaye went into a caucus meeting with fellow Senate Republicans.
Jaye, who last year served 35 days in jail for drunken driving, was charged Friday in Florida with assaulting Kloss, of Fort Myers, Fla.
Under Florida's domestic violence law, authorities could still try to prosecute Jaye even if his fiancée doesn't want to pursue the case.
Jaye was arrested about noon Thursday after Kloss said he struck her in the face, and a witness gave a statement confirming her claim, according to arrest records.
State Senator says he won't resign
Northern Michigan 9 & 10 News
Ludington Daily News
April 17, 2001
Lansing, Mich [AP] - David Jaye, who was charged last week with assaulting his fiancee in Florida, on Tuesday denied any physical altercation with the woman and said he has no plans to resign from the state Senate.
"I want to make clear that this dispute involved no hitting, no striking, no pushing, no shoving, no assault," the Republican from Macomb County's Washington Township said.
When asked at a Tuesday morning news conference if he had a "spousal abuse problem," Jaye responded, "No, I do not."
Jaye was booked and jailed overnight last Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery after police responded to a 911 call on a reported dispute between Jaye and his fiancée, Sonia Kloss, 36. He was released Friday after she posted his $2,500 bond.
Jaye, 43, said the police reports "do not accurately reflect the events of that morning."
In a statement released later Tuesday morning, Jaye said the police pressured Kloss to "use words in the report she did not want to use."
While in the Lee County Jail in Florida, Jaye was attacked and needed 24 stitches to repair his injured ear, according to a report filed by sheriff's officials. He plans to get further surgery on his injured ear, said his defense lawyer, Robert Huth.
A jail inmate was charged with aggravated battery after witnesses said he struck Jaye because he thought the senator was using the phone for too long.
"Jaye, who termed the Florida incident "inappropriate," said he and Kloss have experienced stress from their long-distance relationship.
"I am in love with a very strong-willed, independent, passionate, beautiful woman, Sonia Kloss.
On Monday, Sen. Leon Stille, R-Spring Lake, called Jaye "an embarrassment" and said he is considering creating an expulsion resolution.
"The rules are pretty clear," Stille told the Detroit News for a story on Tuesday. "The Senate has the responsibility for keeping its house clean."
After the news conference, Jaye went into a caucus meeting with fellow Senate Republicans.
Jaye, who last year served 35 days in jail for drunken driving, was charged Friday in Florida with assaulting Kloss, of Fort Myers, Fla.
Under Florida's domestic violence law, authorities could still try to prosecute Jaye even if his fiancée doesn't want to pursue the case.
Jaye was arrested about noon Thursday after Kloss said he struck her in the face, and a witness gave a statement confirming her claim, according to arrest records.
Northern Michigan 9 & 10 News
April 17, 2021
http://www.9and10news.com/category/story/?id=63915
(Lansing-AP) -- State Senator David Jaye says he won't resign from the Legislature and didn't hit his fiancée. The Macomb County Republican is charged in Florida with hitting the woman. His committee assignments were suspended the day after the arrest last week.
Jaye returns to Senate today after spending a night in jail
The Michigan Daily
April 17, 2001
Lansing [AP] State Sen. David Jaye plans to return to session today, four days after being charged in Florida with assaulting his fiancée, his attorney said yesterday.
Robert Huth of Mount Clemens said the Washington Township Republican "hopes to continue his relationship with his fiancée," and said the couple plans to get counseling.
Jaye was booked and jailed overnight last Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery after police responded to a 911 call on a reported dispute between Jaye and his fiancée, Sonia Kloss. He was released Friday after she posted his $2,500 bond.
Jaye, 43, told a Lee County [Fla] sheriff's deputy that he didn't hit Kloss, 36. He plans to make a statement at 8:45 a.m. today in Lansing on the matter.
While in the Lee County Jail in Florida, Jaye was attacked and needed 24 stitches to repair his injured ear, according to a report filed by sheriff's officials. He plans to get further surgery on his injured ear, Huth said.
A jail inmate was charged with aggravated battery after witnesses said he struck Jaye because he though the senator was using the phone for too long.
"He complains about a loss of hearing in that ear," Huth said. But he expressed optimism about the outcome of Jaye's problems.
"David's faced adversity before," Huth said. "He's upbeat and is facing the situation."
Jaye, who last year served 35 days in jail for drunken driving, was charged Friday in Florida with assaulting Kloss. She said then she would ask for the charges to be dropped. The Fort Myers, Fla., woman said she and Jaye plan to get married this year.
Under Florida's domestic violence law, authorities could still try to prosecute Jaye even if his fiancée doesn't want to pursue the case.
Jaye fiancée called to ask if she could press case
Prosecutor says senator cut off the conversation
April 19, 2001
Detroit Free Press
State Sen. David Jaye and his fiancée are presenting a united front this week, but that wasn't the case last Thursday when she called the Bay County prosecutor to ask whether it was too late to press domestic abuse charges there. That day, less than two hours after the phone call to Bay County Prosecutor Joseph Sheeran, Jaye was arrested on domestic battery charges in a different incident involving his fiancée, Sonia Kloss, in Ft. Myers, Fla. Sheeran released a transcript...
http://www.9and10news.com/category/story/?id=63915
(Lansing-AP) -- State Senator David Jaye says he won't resign from the Legislature and didn't hit his fiancée. The Macomb County Republican is charged in Florida with hitting the woman. His committee assignments were suspended the day after the arrest last week.
Jaye returns to Senate today after spending a night in jail
The Michigan Daily
April 17, 2001
Lansing [AP] State Sen. David Jaye plans to return to session today, four days after being charged in Florida with assaulting his fiancée, his attorney said yesterday.
Robert Huth of Mount Clemens said the Washington Township Republican "hopes to continue his relationship with his fiancée," and said the couple plans to get counseling.
Jaye was booked and jailed overnight last Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery after police responded to a 911 call on a reported dispute between Jaye and his fiancée, Sonia Kloss. He was released Friday after she posted his $2,500 bond.
Jaye, 43, told a Lee County [Fla] sheriff's deputy that he didn't hit Kloss, 36. He plans to make a statement at 8:45 a.m. today in Lansing on the matter.
While in the Lee County Jail in Florida, Jaye was attacked and needed 24 stitches to repair his injured ear, according to a report filed by sheriff's officials. He plans to get further surgery on his injured ear, Huth said.
A jail inmate was charged with aggravated battery after witnesses said he struck Jaye because he though the senator was using the phone for too long.
"He complains about a loss of hearing in that ear," Huth said. But he expressed optimism about the outcome of Jaye's problems.
"David's faced adversity before," Huth said. "He's upbeat and is facing the situation."
Jaye, who last year served 35 days in jail for drunken driving, was charged Friday in Florida with assaulting Kloss. She said then she would ask for the charges to be dropped. The Fort Myers, Fla., woman said she and Jaye plan to get married this year.
Under Florida's domestic violence law, authorities could still try to prosecute Jaye even if his fiancée doesn't want to pursue the case.
Senate 'had it' with Jaye arrests
Lawmakers call for expelling Washington Township senator after Fla. arrest on assault charges
Detroit News
April 17, 2001
LANSING -- State Sen. David Jaye, R-Washington Township, has twice served jail time for drunken driving and last week was arrested in Florida on domestic violence charges.
Neither of his previous missteps over 13 years in Lansing has been enough to get him expelled from the House or the Senate because they were misdemeanors. But now, even though the Florida arrest was for another alleged misdemeanor, leaders of the state Senate say they've had enough.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow said he has been receiving calls, e-mails and faxes from fellow senators and their constituents calling for Jaye to be expelled. Sen. Leon Stille, R-Spring Lake, said he is considering drafting an expulsion resolution as early as today.
"He is an embarrassment," Stille said, referring to Jaye. "The rules are pretty clear. The Senate has the responsibility for keeping its own house clean."
The volatile Jaye, who is free on bond and back in the capital, scheduled a media statement for 8:45 a.m. today, 15 minutes before the Senate was to caucus behind close doors to discuss Jaye's arrest and consider sanctions.
Reached briefly by phone Monday, Jaye declined to answer a reporter's questions. But Robert Huth Jr., Jaye's attorney, said Jaye would give his version of the incident and he would not resign.
Jaye has handed outraged Senate leaders an unpleasant problem: Whether to expel a senator over a misdemeanor for the first time. Setting such a precedent worries DeGrow.
"But," DeGrow said, "the misdemeanors are piling up, and let's just say I've got other things in my file that I've reprimanded him for that most people don't even know about."
The Senate Majority Leader added: "There are a lot of people who have had it with him. ... We're at the point where patience is exhausted."
Risky business
Reprimanding Jaye is a sticky situation for the Senate, which wants to punish bad behavior but is reluctant to overturn a vote of the people. Jaye is up for re-election next year. Another senator -- Henry Stallings of Detroit -- was forced to resign in 1998 after pleading guilty to a felony charge of using a state-paid aide to run his Detroit art gallery.
Jaye's arrest last week was only the latest in a series of offenses and alleged offenses. He was arrested Thursday in Fort Myers, Fla., on a charge that he beat his fiancee during a fight over a set of keys. A witness said Jaye struck her three times, cutting her nose, jaw and chin, according to the police report. Huth said Jaye was free on $2,500 bond Monday.
Jaye's fiancee, Jameela (Sonia) Kloss posted the bond. She was to release a statement at the news conference today saying she intends to drop the charges, Huth said.
Florida's "cooling off" law won't allow her to do so until Jaye's pretrial hearing next month. Florida officials could move ahead with the prosecution on the witness' testimony even if the charges are dropped.
Reactions uncertain
DeGrow said Kloss' plan to drop the charges is unlikely to impress senators. "It's not unheard-of in a spousal abuse case that charges are dropped," DeGrow said.
In fact, according to Florida State Police Lt. Michael Morenko, the latest incident may have grown out of an earlier situation in Michigan in which Kloss declined to prosecute Jaye. Last November, Jaye was arrested for violating the terms of his restricted license after a motorist reported a slapping and kicking incident involving Kloss and Jaye at a rest stop near Bay City.
Morenko, commander of the Richmond post of the Florida State Police, said the alleged Florida assault occurred while Kloss was talking on the phone to the Bay County Prosecutor's Office about the November incident.
"Sonia had called the Bay County prosecutor and wanted to know if it was not too late to bring charges," Morenko said.
Jaye's long history of confrontations in the Legislature won't help his standing in the Senate. He has often clashed with lawmakers on the House and Senate floors and frequently has been accused of race-baiting.
Against affirmative action
He was among those who led the charge against affirmative action policies at the University of Michigan. He made controversial statements about welfare recipients, telling them to "hit the road, Jack" and offering an amendment to a spending bill to buy them one-way tickets to Florida.
He often butted heads with Detroit lawmakers such as former Rep. Morris Hood when Jaye proposed antagonistic measures to bar Detroit school board members from using limousines or taking Medicaid away from welfare recipients who smoke.
Hood once called Jaye "the David Duke of Michigan," a reference to the former Ku Klux Klansman who ran for governor of Louisiana.
Black lawmakers walked off the floor during Jaye's farewell address to the House in 1997, following his election to the state Senate.
"It's not so much racism, but ignorance on his part of the black community or any community other than his own," said Sen. Joseph Young Jr., D-Detroit. "He's ignorant of other lifestyles, and diversity."
Jaye has also been fervently pro-gun, anti-abortion and anti-tax. He has a reputation for working hard -- he has introduced 321 bills and resolutions in the past three years -- but his name on a bill or an amendment is usually considered poison because his scowling, in-your-face style turns people off.
"He's a divider. Most successful politicians are uniters," said William Rustem, vice-president of Public Sector Consultants Inc., a nonpartisan think-tank in Lansing. "He's not taken seriously because he hasn't taken the time to build the kind of relationships that lead to successful lawmaking."
Neighbors angry
Even Jaye's neighbors in Washington Township portray him as confrontational and combative, whether he's clashing with them over barking dogs or over vegetable gardens.
"He's not a very good neighbor," said Andrea Klinken, 41, who lives next to Jaye on Waschull, a street in an older neighborhood with moderately priced homes.
"His house is a mess," Klinken said, pointing to a hanging gutter, wood trim that needs paint, a messy back yard and weedy remnants of last year's vegetable garden, which Jaye planted on his front lawn, much to the annoyance of his neighbors.
Neighbors petitioned township officials to force Jaye to clean up the property, but nothing was ever done, Klinken said.
The Klinkens say they have had run-ins with Jaye ever since they moved into their home three years ago, mostly because Jaye says their dog, Sarah, barks too much. When Jaye started hounding them about their pet, knocking on their windows at night, they called Sheriff's deputies, and Jaye was told to stop trespassing on the Klinkens' property.
Jaye didn't like an older car the Klinkens had parked in their driveway and placed a sign on it one day when the Klinkens were gone. "Free. Tow Away," the sign read.
"You can have him," said Angela Riedisser, who lives across the street from Jaye. "I don't like the idea he is my state senator. I never voted for him. He rubs people the wrong way."
But one neighbor says he has had no problem with Jaye and thinks the senator can weather the latest controversy.
"In my opinion it won't hurt him," said Paul Valcke, who lives six houses from Jaye. "I think he will survive. ... This is a conservative area and his record as a politician stands by itself."
Valcke, who runs a basketball emporium in Oakland County, said Jaye remains politically popular in his northern Macomb County senate district because of his conservative stance on such issues as crime, welfare, gun-owner rights and affirmative action.
"His political views are a lot like mine and my wife, June," Valcke said.
Career of controversy
Sen. David Jaye's 13-year legislative career has been shadowed by controversy. A look at his troubles:
October 1991: Macomb County issues Jaye a permit to carry a gun following threats he received after saying able-bodied welfare recipients should get jobs or "hit the road, Jack."
December 1991: Jaye drops his .38-caliber pistol on the floor during a House Republican caucus meeting, prompting some lawmakers to call for a ban on carrying weapons on the House floor.
May 1992: Jaye picked as worst state legislator in a survey by The Detroit News of lawmakers and other insiders, who called him a "racist" and an ineffective lawmaker.
February 1993: He's arrested in Webberville, east of Lansing, on charges of drunken driving after he failed a Breathalyzer test and told police he thought he was traveling in Utica, some 60 miles east. Jaye was convicted and served 10 days in jail. The arrest came one day after he was charged with reckless driving in Macomb County for trying to run over a constituent with his van.
March 1997: Jaye is criticized for circulating "race-baiting" leaflets in a special Senate election that referred to his opponent as a "friend of Jesse Jackson." Jaye wins Senate election and black lawmakers walk off the House floor during his farewell address.
March 2000: Jaye is arrested in Macomb Township on charges of drunken driving, his second offense in seven years. He is stripped of his Senate committee assignments in June. He's convicted of the drunken driving charge and serves 35 days in jail.
November 2000: He's stopped near Bay City after a motorist notified police about a man kicking and slapping a woman at a nearby rest stop. Charges of driving on a restricted license were dropped in March because a state trooper failed to read him his rights.
April 12, 2001: Jaye is arrested on a domestic violence battery charge in Ft. Myers, Fla. He allegedly struck his fiancee in a fight over car keys. He's released on $2,500 and faces a May pretrial hearing.
Sen. David Jaye
Age: 43
Hometown: Washington Township
Political career: Elected to state House of Representatives in 1988, served five terms elected to partial state Senate term in 1997 and elected to full, four-year term in 1998.
Senate district: Western Macomb County, including Sterling Heights, Fraser, Utica and Romeo and Shelby, Macomb, Ray, Washington, Bruce, Armada and Richmond townships.
Education: Bachelor of science and master's degree in public policy studies at University of Michigan. Graduate of Utica Eisenhower High School.
Quote: "I have been a strong supporter of, and always voted for, tough drunk driving laws that we are all subject to."
Editorial: Resign, Sen. Jaye
Detroit News
April 17, 2001
David Jaye today returned to the Michigan Senate. It looks as though he plans to tough it out. That is not in the best interests of his constituents.
State Sen. Jaye, a Washington Township Republican, faces charges in Florida of battering his fiancee. Mr. Jaye has said he did not do so, and his fiancee has told the media she will seek to have the charges dropped. Florida authorities reportedly have the option of continuing the case without her cooperation. One witness reportedly told police he saw the assault.
Mr. Jaye is entitled to the presumption of innocence in this matter. But the Macomb County legislator is not necessarily entitled to continue to work out his personal problems while serving as a member of the Michigan Senate.
Mr. Jaye has had a checkered history with the law. He has twice pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drunken driving charges. He served 35 days in jail on the second offense. More recently, charges of driving with a restricted license were dropped after it was revealed that he was not properly read his rights by arresting officers.
After his second drunken driving offense, he was stripped by fellow Republican senators of his committee assignments. No sooner had he regained those assignments than his arrest in Florida on the domestic battery charges caused Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, to suspend the assignments again. Sen. DeGrow also said his fellow senators found Mr. Jaye's conduct "unacceptable."
This response to Mr. Jaye's continuing difficulties with the law severely limits his effectiveness in the Senate. With no committee assignments and without the respect of his colleagues, he is not well-placed to serve the interests of voters in his Senate district or some of the ideas he espouses -- low taxes and limited government.
Mr. Jaye's problems are regrettable. He is well educated. But he has also engaged in marginal campaign tactics that have verged on race-baiting and has shown difficulty controlling his temper as well as following the rules of the road.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Jaye demonstrated a certain amount of disrespect for his colleagues by dropping a pistol during a party caucus when he was a member of the House. His abrasiveness has made it hard for his colleagues to work with him.
This newspaper has called for the resignation of Detroit Councilman Clyde Cleveland following his guilty plea to a domestic battering charge and supported a one-year suspension for Warren District Judge Susan Chrzanowski for her bad judgment in a personal matter that affects her job performance. So Mr. Jaye is hardly being singled out for disapproval.
Mr. Jaye's ability to effectively perform his legislative duties is seriously impaired regardless of whether he is ultimately convicted or cleared of charges in Florida. He ought to resign.
The Issue
Should State Sen. David Jaye retire from public life?
Under dark cloud, Jaye to return
A West Michigan legislator says he may draft an expulsion resolution against the controversial colleague.
Grand Rapids Press
April 17, 2001
LANSING -- State Sen. David Jaye hopes to continue his relationship with his fiancee, Jaye's attorney said less than a week after the senator was charged with assaulting the woman in Florida.
Attorney Robert Huth of Mount Clemens also said the couple plans to get counseling.
Jaye, R-Washington Township, was expected to return to session this morning, Huth said.
On Monday, Sen. Leon Stille, R-Spring Lake, called Jaye "an embarrassment" and said he is considering creating an expulsion resolution.
"The rules are pretty clear," Stille said. "The Senate has the responsibility for keeping its house clean."
Jaye was booked and jailed overnight last Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery after police responded to a 911 call on a reported dispute between Jaye and his fiancee, Sonia Kloss. He was released Friday after she posted his $2,500 bond.
Jaye, 43, told a Lee County sheriff's deputy that he didn't hit Kloss, 36.
While in the Lee County Jail in Florida, Jaye was attacked and needed 24 stitches to repair his injured ear, according to a report filed by sheriff's officials. He plans to get further surgery on his injured ear, Huth said.
A jail inmate was charged with aggravated battery after witnesses said he struck Jaye because he thought the senator was using the phone for too long.
"He complains about a loss of hearing in that ear," Huth said.
"David's faced adversity before," Huth said. "He's upbeat and is facing the situation."
Jaye, who last year served 35 days in jail for drunken driving, was charged Friday in Florida with assaulting Kloss. She said then she would ask for the charges to be dropped. The Fort Myers, Fla., woman said she and Jaye plan to get married this year.
Under Florida's domestic violence law, authorities could still try to prosecute Jaye even if his fiancee doesn't want to pursue the case.
Jaye was arrested about noon Thursday after Kloss said he struck her in the face, and a witness gave a statement confirming her claim, according to arrest records.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, on Friday suspended Jaye's committee assignments. DeGrow had restored the assignments just two weeks earlier after a previous suspension tied to Jaye's drunken driving conviction. Jaye also lost his Senate mail and travel privileges.
Jaye was chairman of the Senate Hunting, Fishing and Forestry Committee. He also was a member of the Economic Development, International Trade and Regulatory Affairs Committee, the Families, Mental Health and Human Services Committee and the Financial Services Committee.
Jaye first lost his committee assignments and travel privileges last June, a week after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge, his second in eight years. He was sentenced to 45 days in the St. Clair County Jail, but was released after 35 after being given time off for good behavior.
Stille leading the charge against troubled senator
Muskegon Chronicle
April 17, 2001
State Sen. David Jaye faced possible censure and even expulsion at the hands of an increasingly fed-up Michigan Senate today, with West Michigan Sen. Leon Stille among those leading the movement against him.
Jaye, a Macomb County Republican, returned to session this morning after facing charges in Florida for assaulting his fiancee, said his attorney, Robert Huth of Mount Clemens.
On Monday, Stille, R-Crockery Township, called Jaye “an embarrassment” and said he is considering creating an expulsion resolution.
“The rules are pretty clear,” Stille said. “The Senate has the responsibility for keeping its house clean.”
Jaye was booked and jailed overnight last Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence battery after police responded to a 911 call on a reported dispute between Jaye and his fiancee, Sonia Kloss. He was released Friday after she posted his $2,500 bond.
Jaye this morning told reporters there was no physical altercation with the woman and said he has no plans to resign.
“I want to make clear that this dispute involved no hitting, no striking, no pushing, no shoving, no assault,” he said.
When asked if he had a “spousal abuse problem,” Jaye responded, “No. I do not.”
After the news conference, Jaye went into a meeting with fellow Republicans.
Jaye, 43, told a Lee County, Fla., sheriff’s deputy that he didn’t hit Kloss, 36. He wants to continue his relationship with her, and get counseling, Huth said.
While in the Lee County Jail, Jaye was attacked and needed 24 stitches to repair his injured ear, according to a report filed by sheriff’s officials. He plans to get further surgery on his injured ear, Huth said.
A jail inmate was charged with aggravated battery after witnesses said he struck Jaye because he thought the senator was using the phone for too long.
“He complains about a loss of hearing in that ear,” Huth said. But he expressed optimism about the outcome of Jaye’s problems.
“David’s faced adversity before,” Huth said. “He’s upbeat and is facing the situation.”
Jaye, who last year served 35 days in jail for drunken driving, was charged Friday in Florida with assaulting Kloss. She said then she would ask for the charges to be dropped. The Fort Myers, Fla., woman said she and Jaye plan to get married this year.
Under Florida’s domestic violence law, authorities could still try to prosecute Jaye even if his fiancee doesn’t want to pursue the case.
Jaye was arrested about noon Thursday after Kloss said he struck her in the face, and a witness gave a statement confirming her claim, according to arrest records.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, on Friday suspended Jaye’s committee assignments. DeGrow had restored the assignments just two weeks earlier after a previous suspension tied to Jaye’s drunken driving conviction. Jaye also lost his Senate mail and travel privileges.
Jaye says he won't step down
Senator denies he hit fiancée, resists pressures to resign
Detroit News
April 18, 2001
LANSING -- Sen. David Jaye's status in the Legislature will be in limbo for another week while his colleagues gather facts about his latest alleged misdemeanor and decide whether to boot him out.
The veteran Washington Township Republican returned to the Senate Tuesday for the first time since his April 12 arrest in Florida on domestic violence charges.
He denied striking his fiancee and said he won't resign, despite pressure from some senators to do so.
"I'm not a quitter," Jaye said.
Senate Republicans huddled with Jaye for nearly two hours and came out of the closed-door caucus with a one-week reprieve plan.
"I'll think things over and check things out and then make recommendations to the caucus," said Senate Republican Leader Dan DeGrow of Port Huron. Possible punishment runs the gamut from reprimand to expulsion, DeGrow said.
DeGrow called the outcome of the pending case in Florida "irrelevant," adding that he has enough examples of Jaye's behavior to make a judgment call.
Jaye stated his case during the caucus meeting, repeating assertions that he did not hit his 36-year-old Trinidad-born fiancee, Jameela (Sonia) Kloss in Ft. Myers, Fla.
Asked how she got the cuts on her face that police photographed, Jaye said: "That's a legal question the attorneys will be able to answer."
DeGrow said Jaye's version of events "doesn't ring credible with the caucus, and members let him know that.
Sen. Leon Stille, R-Spring Lake, said he has drafted a resolution calling for expulsion or lesser penalties. He said he will introduce the measure next week should DeGrow recommend it.
According to the Michigan Constitution: "Each house shall be the sole judge of the qualifications, elections and returns of its members and may with the concurrence of two-thirds of all the members elected expel a member."
Prosecutor says senator cut off the conversation
April 19, 2001
Detroit Free Press
State Sen. David Jaye and his fiancée are presenting a united front this week, but that wasn't the case last Thursday when she called the Bay County prosecutor to ask whether it was too late to press domestic abuse charges there. That day, less than two hours after the phone call to Bay County Prosecutor Joseph Sheeran, Jaye was arrested on domestic battery charges in a different incident involving his fiancée, Sonia Kloss, in Ft. Myers, Fla. Sheeran released a transcript...
More trouble drives up for David Jaye
Senator violated restricted license rules, neighbors say
Detroit News
April 19, 2001
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP -- Macomb County probation officers are expected to investigate statements by neighbors that embattled state Sen. David Jaye drove while on a restricted license.
Neighbors in Washington Township said Jaye was behind the wheel of a Ford Taurus with Ohio plates before restrictions for drunken driving here in Michigan were lifted.
Jaye said Wednesday that his trips were on official business and not a violation of the restrictions.
But Ken Bovenchen, chief probation officer for Macomb County, said if neighbors' statements are reliable, the case may be presented to the judge presiding over Jaye's drunken-driving conviction.
The senator could be jailed for violating terms of the restrictions.
The Taurus is believed to be one Jaye was driving when he was ticketed for driving 80 mph in a 65 mph zone near Vandalia, Ohio, on Jan. 21. He was convicted in Ohio in February of speeding.
Jaye returned to the Senate Tuesday for the first time since his April 12 arrest in Florida on domestic violence charges involving his fiancee. He was released from jail last August after serving 45 days for drunken driving.
As part of his sentence, Jaye was prohibited from driving any vehicle unless he was on government business or going to counseling sessions or getting medical treatment.
The restrictions were lifted this year, but neighbors said the senator was often behind the wheel before the restrictions ended.
"He was driving around here and it had nothing to do with the government. He drove to the gym and places like that," said Andrea Klinken, who lives next door to Jaye.
Another neighbor, Angela Riedisser, said Jaye often drove around town.
Jaye claimed that he never violated terms of the restricted license and that Klinken is retaliating against him because of long-running feuds, including her barking dog.
"Some are mad at my politics. Some are mad because I have a garden in my front yard," Jaye said Wednesday.
Jaye said the Taurus belongs to a friend and he has been test-driving the car to see if he wants to buy it. But Lt. Michael Morenko, commander of the Richmond post of the Michigan State Police, said the Taurus is registered to an Ohio car lease company.
Fiancée in trouble before police say
Kloss hit ex-husband and was drunk and disorderly at Metro
Detroit Free Press
Kloss hit ex-husband and was drunk and disorderly at Metro
Detroit Free Press
April 20, 2001
State Sen. David Jaye's fiancée, who police say was battered by Jaye last week in Florida, hit her former husband with a bar stool in a dispute when they were married, a police report says. And in a more recent brush with the law, Sonia Kloss pleaded guilty in March to a charge of disorderly conduct at Detroit Metro Airport, according to a report released Thursday by the Wayne County Airport Police Department under the Freedom of Information Act. Jaye, R-Washington...
Posthumus urges Jaye to resign
Grand Rapids Press
April 20, 2001
LANSING -- State Sen. David Jaye should resign, Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus said as the Senate pondered what to do with Jaye following a domestic violence charge against him in Florida.
Jaye, meanwhile, refused to answer reporters' questions on the Senate floor Thursday.
But Posthumus said "I thought it would be in his interest to resign."
"The pattern of behavior indicates what I consider a classic case of domestic violence," the Lowell-area Republican said. "He should consider resigning and his family and friends should try and seek help for him."
The Senate took no formal action against Jaye. Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, said the GOP caucus will meet Tuesday to discuss the issue, although he said it may not be decided next week.
Sen. Leon Stille, R-Spring Lake, has drafted a resolution to use against Jaye if the Republican caucus wants to. "It's written up as expulsion, but it could be changed to reprimand or censureship. So it could be amended to either of the other two."
Jaye was charged last week with assaulting his fiancee, Sonia Kloss. The Macomb County Republican said he is innocent and has pledged his love for Kloss.
Jaye should step down
Herald-Palladium
April 20, 2001
(An opinion of The Herald-Palladium editorial board)
You can't blame Republicans in the state Senate who, in what looks like growing numbers, want fellow Republican Sen. David Jaye gone for good from their ranks.
Jaye, of Macomb County, has been an embarrassment for some time due to a history of run-ins with the law. The 43-year-old lawmaker has had three drunken driving convictions, the last of which prompted his colleagues to temporarily strip Jaye of his committee assignments.
But the latest episode, his arrest last week on domestic violence charges, may even top the previous incidents. Jaye was arrested in Florida on a misdemeanor assault charge and thrown in jail overnight. The incident involving his girlfriend remains murky. When police responded to a 911 call they found evidence of a fight and Jaye's girlfriend had sustained cuts to her face, though since his arrest the woman has said she doesn't want to see Jaye prosecuted.
The event comes after another incident last fall when police in Bay County, Michigan, investigated a report that Jaye had been seen hitting and kicking the same woman at a gas station. No charges were filed in that case.
But several lawmakers say despite the lack of a felony conviction, enough is enough. On Thursday Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus, the man Republicans hope will assume the mantle of party leader when Gov. Engler leaves office, weighed in and said Jaye should step down. "The pattern of behavior indicates what I consider a classic case of domestic abuse," he said.
The blow to Jaye follows other calls for Jaye's resignation. The Lansing drama should play out next week, when senators say they will sort out just what, if anything, they should do about Jaye.
Our view is that pressuring Jaye to step down is entirely appropriate. There's enough smoke to these latest incidents, and enough of an existing police record, for senators to rightly be concerned that Jaye's antics are hurting the institution.
It's hard to see how Jaye can effectively represent his district, and one would hope he's getting strong pressure from constituents to resign.
The Senate, where important policy is debated and decided, should be reserved for men and women who, at the very least, are above legal reproach.
Again Jaye fails to meet that standard.
Lawbreaker unfit as a lawmaker
Saginaw News
April 20, 2001
State Sen. David Jaye, Republican of Washington Township, is back on the crime blotter again on charges he assaulted his fiancée in Florida. This time, his legal transgression should force his colleagues in the Senate to put an end to his political career.
With two drunken driving convictions in the past eight years, a stint in jail and now the assault charge, the Republican-controlled chamber can no longer allow Jaye to escape the consequences.
And his growing rap sheet doesn't tell the full story. It was a few weeks ago - six months after his release from jail - that Bay County officials dismissed on a technicality a charge of driving on a suspended license. State police officers failed to read him his Miranda rights at the scene. In that incident, another motorist alerted police that he struck a woman at a Bay County gasoline station.
Just two weeks ago, Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow restored Jaye's committee assignments, suspended at the time of his drunken driving conviction. Last Friday, Jaye's committee assignments were suspended again.
Tuesday, Senate leaders huddled with the 43-year-old lawmaker in private to discuss his fate.
Jaye has denied the allegation he assaulted his fiancee last week, and he deserves his day in court.
As role models, however, lawmakers are properly held to a higher standard of conduct. Jaye has received plenty of chances to mend his ways, but he continues to get in trouble. Sen. Leon Stille, a Spring Lake Republican, this week said is considering a resolution of expulsion. "The Senate has the responsibility for keeping its house clean," Stille said.
Jaye is an embarrassment and deserves expulsion. Lawbreakers aren't fit as lawmakers. His colleagues and his party must hold him accountable for his repeated legal tangles - and keep their own house clean.
Boot swinging at senator
Colleagues gearing up to vote out wayward Jaye
Detroit Free Press
April 21, 2001
Momentum is building in the state Senate to expel Sen. David Jaye, whose arrest April 12 in Florida for allegedly hitting his fiancee in the face during an argument set the stage for a historic decision next week. Jaye would be the first state senator to be expelled. Sen. Leon Stille, R-Spring Lake, said Friday that there is "a better than 50-50 chance" Senate Republicans will call for Jaye's removal if he does not resign. Interviews with senators...
Colleagues gearing up to vote out wayward Jaye
Detroit Free Press
April 21, 2001
Momentum is building in the state Senate to expel Sen. David Jaye, whose arrest April 12 in Florida for allegedly hitting his fiancee in the face during an argument set the stage for a historic decision next week. Jaye would be the first state senator to be expelled. Sen. Leon Stille, R-Spring Lake, said Friday that there is "a better than 50-50 chance" Senate Republicans will call for Jaye's removal if he does not resign. Interviews with senators...
David Jaye: time to leave
The senator is an embarrassment to Legislature and should resign
Grand Rapids Press
April 21, 2001
Elected legislators should be lawmakers, not lawbreakers. State Sen. David Jaye apparently does not under that concept. His repeated encounters with the law -- as an offender -- are completely unacceptable. His best civic act would be to resign.
The Macomb County Republican's latest brush with the law hopefully will be the last straw for his constituents as well as his Senate colleagues. If Mr. Jaye refuses to resign, he should be expelled or recalled by the Washington Township voters he represents. They have a measure of responsibility for his behavior and thus for the damage he is doing to the Legislature and the credibility of state government.
It was bad enough to have Mr. Jaye careening out of control in Michigan -- jailed for a third drunken driving conviction last March -- but now he has taken his show on the road. His arrest last week in Florida on domestic battery charges, for allegedly hitting his fiancee, is an embarrassment not only to himself but to all Michigan residents.
Elected officials are representatives of their home state whenever they travel and for whatever purposes. Their actions reflect upon the voters who put them in office and the legislative body in which they serve. Mr. Jaye's behavior in Florida gives Michigan a black eye nationally. He faces a May 8 court hearing in Florida on the battery charges.
Mr. Jaye denies striking his fiancee, Sonia Kloss, but says the dispute they had was "inappropriate" and they are getting counseling.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, has stripped Mr. Jaye of his committee assignments and his mail and travel privileges. They had been restored only weeks ago after expiration of a suspension tied to Jaye's last drunken driving conviction. Mr. Jaye was chairman of the Senate Hunting, Fishing and Forestry Committee. He also served on the Economic Development, International Trade and Regulatory Affairs Committee, the Families, Mental Health and Human Services Committee and the Financial Services Committee.
Mr. DeGrow's actions are appropriate, but the entire Legislature needs to deal with a pattern of conduct by Mr. Jaye that continues to brings shame upon the whole legislative body. Mr. Jaye became the first state senator to serve a jail sentence while in office after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge in August of last year. He was arrested in November for violating a condition of his probation that restricts his driving privileges -- a charge that was dismissed by a judge. The charge came after police stopped him in Bay County for allegedly assaulting Ms. Kloss at a gas station. Mr. Jaye and Ms. Kloss said they had a fight, but no assault charges were filed.
Mr. Jaye bills himself has a law-and-order conservative who champions personal responsibility. Elected officials have a duty to set a good example. Mr. Jaye has failed miserable at doing so.
If Mr. Jaye is convicted of the Florida charges, his Senate colleagues will be obliged to formally expel him. But Mr. Jaye shouldn't wait until then. The latest arrest, added to his prior record of run-ins and convictions, establishes a pattern that even a minimally responsible adult should regard as shameful. Certainly it is below the standard that should be expected of a state legislator. The proper course for him from here should be obvious. His colleagues in the Senate should make sure he sees it.
How many times will Jaye walk?
After refusing to kick out the Macomb County lawmaker for past run-ins, the state Senate has another opportunity.
Grand Rapids Press
April 22, 2001
The news section of Republican Sen. David Jaye's taxpayer-funded Web site has been quiet lately.
It includes just one press release, a May 2000 item on hunting and fishing rights.
A lot has happened since then.
First there was the 45-day sentence the Macomb County lawmaker served last summer in the St. Clair County Jail for a third drunken-driving conviction.
In November he was arrested in Bay County for violating the court-ordered limits on his driving privileges, charges that were subsequently dropped because he wasn't read his rights.
State police stopped Jaye after a witness at a gas station reported a possible abduction.
And on April 12 he was arrested in Florida and jailed for allegedly punching his fiancee, Sonia Kloss, in the face.
Bay County Prosecutor Joseph Sheeran asked Florida police to visit Kloss' home in Fort Myers after he received a phone call from Kloss. She was inquiring whether domestic battery charges from the November incident could still be filed.
Kloss bailed him out of the Florida jail and he faces a May 8 hearing on misdemeanor assault charges.
Still aggressive
Back in the Capitol last week, Jaye denied hitting Kloss and said he had no intention of resigning. He said he has unfinished business in the Legislature.
"I will continue to work my fanny off on behalf of the taxpayers," Jaye said. In perhaps a poor choice of words, he said he would be "aggressive" about it.
How aggressive senators are in punishing their colleague will be clearer this week when Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow recommends how the Senate should proceed.
A felony conviction merits automatic expulsion from the Legislature. For anything less, the Legislature is constitutionally self-policing. The Senate can hand down any punishment, with the maximum penalty being expulsion. A two-thirds vote of the 38-member Senate is all it takes.
The rule that applies to Jaye's case says: "Each senator shall conduct himself or herself to justify the confidence placed in him or her by the people and shall, by personal example and admonition to colleagues, maintain the integrity and responsibility of his or her office."
The Senate's problem concerning Jaye is that up until now, it has ducked its responsibility.
Senate rules say that when the chamber is confronted with violations concerning ethics and conduct by one of its members, the Committee on Government Operations "shall" determine if the allegations merit a fact-finding hearing and punishment.
What confidence?
Jaye admitted in court to his third drunken-driving offense. Is that "justifying the confidence" of those who elected him?
He spent a month and a half in the clink. While behind bars was he upholding the "integrity and responsibility" of his job?
A job that now pays $77,400 a year, by the way.
The Bay County driving arrest was tossed out. But the Senate still had the option of investigating both the driving infraction and whether the reported abduction was a case of domestic violence, as Kloss was suggesting in her April 12 phone call to Sheeran, which Jaye interrupted and ended.
Throughout Jaye's recent troubles with the law, no hearings have been held or determinations made that Jaye should be officially reprimanded, censured or expelled. He was stripped of his committee assignments, however.
Now, months later, another arrest.
The issue isn't that Jaye is a conservative who hypocritically relishes throwing the book at other lawbreakers. Or that he happens to be the least-liked member of the Legislature. Or that he might be a huge political liability for Republicans with gender-gap problems.
At the heart of the Jaye case is the question of just what a legislator has to do -- short of committing a felony -- to be officially sanctioned by his colleagues.
How many misdemeanor cases must be on a legislator's rap sheet before the public trust required to hold the job has evaporated?
Jaye's fellow senators who get paid to make decisions now have to read their own rule book -- and decide.
Jaye's fate rests in hands of 6 fellow senators
A decision is expected in two to three weeks from a panel made up of three Republicans and three Democrats
Grand Rapids Press
April 24, 2001
LANSING -- A bipartisan Senate panel will investigate Sen. David Jaye's pattern of arrests and convictions and make a recommendation on whether he should be expelled.
Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow on Tuesday said the six-member committee, made up of three Republicans and three Democrats, will make its recommendation in the next two to three weeks.
Jaye, a Republican from Macomb County's Washington Township, was arrested in Florida April 12 on a domestic battery charge after a dispute with his fiancee, Sonia Kloss. The charge is a misdemeanor.
The latest controversy comes less than a year after Jaye finished serving time in jail for drunken driving. He has had two convictions for drunken driving in the last 10 years, dropped a gun in a House GOP caucus meeting and has twice been stripped of his Senate committee assignments, most recently after his Florida arrest.
Unless the Senate panel finds some reason to allow Jaye to hold onto his seat, "he's not fit to serve in the Michigan Senate," DeGrow said today during a Capitol news conference. The Port Huron Republican did not say whether he would vote to expel Jaye if that's the committee's recommendation.
The panel also could recommend that Jaye be censured or reprimanded. DeGrow did not announce who would serve on the panel.
Jaye has denied he hitting Kloss and said police in Florida pressured her to use words she did not want to use in their police report. "I want to make clear that this dispute involved no hitting, no striking, no pushing, no shoving, no assault," he said during a news conference last week.
Several Republican lawmakers said it's time for Jaye to leave the Senate, either by resigning or by being expelled.
"I asked him to resign," said Sen. John Schwarz, R-Battle Creek.
"It would serve the best interests of the Senate and is in the best interest of Senator Jaye."
Republican Sen. Leon Stille had the same feelings.
"I hope he would resign and if he doesn't, I think he should be expelled," said Stille, of Spring Lake.
Others were more reluctant to kick Jaye out -- especially since he hasn't been convicted of the Florida charge.
"We have to wait and see," said Sen. Glenn Steil, R-Grand Rapids. "We can't rush to judgment."
Jaye fiancée rambles on 911 tape
Transcripts of April call tells of blood, scratches
Transcripts of April call tells of blood, scratches
Detroit Free Press
May 1, 2001
A transcript of a 911 call placed by state Sen. David Jaye's fiancée the day of their now-legendary Florida spat describes their tussle over her keys, his decision to retrieve his clothes from her house and her accusation that he struck her face. In a rambling exchange with a 911 operator, Sonia Kloss, 36, accuses Jaye, 43, of hitting her. She first says she is bleeding and later that she is bruised. Toward the end of the call, she describes her injuries as scratches...
May 1, 2001
A transcript of a 911 call placed by state Sen. David Jaye's fiancée the day of their now-legendary Florida spat describes their tussle over her keys, his decision to retrieve his clothes from her house and her accusation that he struck her face. In a rambling exchange with a 911 operator, Sonia Kloss, 36, accuses Jaye, 43, of hitting her. She first says she is bleeding and later that she is bruised. Toward the end of the call, she describes her injuries as scratches...
Hearings to resume whether Sen. Jaye should be expelled
The Argus-Press
May 9, 2001
Lansing, Mich. [AP] - A police officer from Florida, where state Sen. David Jaye is accused of hitting his fiancée, testified that the woman was cut and still bleeding when he arrived at the scene.
"She said he's hit her in the past," Corp. Robert Macarelli of the Lee County sheriff's office said Tuesday. "She said she wanted him to stop beating her."
Jaye was arrested April 12 in Florida after a dispute with Sonia Kloss and spent the night in the Lee County Jail. Jaye denied he struck Kloss, and she has recanted any accusations against him.
The officer's comments came as a special state Senate committee held its first full hearing on Jaye's right to remain in the Senate. The hearing was to resume Wednesday.
Jaye attended the committee hearing with three attorneys but didn't comment. He issued a letter Tuesday complaining that the hearing violated his civil rights and right to due process.
When it concludes its investigation, the six-member bipartisan committee could recommend that Jaye be expelled, censured or reprimanded.
In the letter he issued, Jaye argued that he hadn't had enough time to prepare and complained about "capricious and arbitrary committee rules" that would prevent discussion of their legislators' conduct besides his own.
The resolution recommending that Jaye be expelled cites a series of drunken driving convictions, a pending domestic battery charge in Florida and what it termed "a recurring pattern of personal misconduct."
Jaye said in his letter that he is owed a presumption of innocence on the domestic battery charge. He promised Sunday to resign if the Florida court convicts him, but he said he expects to be acquitted and accused Senate opponents of violating his rights.
At the hearing Tuesday, Bay County Prosecutor Joseph Sheeran said he may resurrect the charges stemming for a dispute last Nov. 19 at a Bay County gas station between Jaye and Kloss.
Jaye, a Republican from Macomb County's Washington Township, was never charged with assault in the Bay County incident. Prosecutors did charge him with violating the restrictions placed on his driver's license, but the charge was later dropped because Jaye had not been read his Miranda rights.
Meanwhile, a Florida judge on Tuesday delayed Jaye's hearing on the domestic battery charge for one week to give prosecutors more time to question witnesses.
Tony Schall, a spokesman for the state attorney's office in Florida, said the hearing is now scheduled for May 15. On that date, prosecutors will decide whether to retain the domestic violence charge, amend the charge or drop it, Schall said.
The Argus-Press
May 9, 2001
Lansing, Mich. [AP] - A police officer from Florida, where state Sen. David Jaye is accused of hitting his fiancée, testified that the woman was cut and still bleeding when he arrived at the scene.
"She said he's hit her in the past," Corp. Robert Macarelli of the Lee County sheriff's office said Tuesday. "She said she wanted him to stop beating her."
Jaye was arrested April 12 in Florida after a dispute with Sonia Kloss and spent the night in the Lee County Jail. Jaye denied he struck Kloss, and she has recanted any accusations against him.
The officer's comments came as a special state Senate committee held its first full hearing on Jaye's right to remain in the Senate. The hearing was to resume Wednesday.
Jaye attended the committee hearing with three attorneys but didn't comment. He issued a letter Tuesday complaining that the hearing violated his civil rights and right to due process.
When it concludes its investigation, the six-member bipartisan committee could recommend that Jaye be expelled, censured or reprimanded.
In the letter he issued, Jaye argued that he hadn't had enough time to prepare and complained about "capricious and arbitrary committee rules" that would prevent discussion of their legislators' conduct besides his own.
The resolution recommending that Jaye be expelled cites a series of drunken driving convictions, a pending domestic battery charge in Florida and what it termed "a recurring pattern of personal misconduct."
Jaye said in his letter that he is owed a presumption of innocence on the domestic battery charge. He promised Sunday to resign if the Florida court convicts him, but he said he expects to be acquitted and accused Senate opponents of violating his rights.
At the hearing Tuesday, Bay County Prosecutor Joseph Sheeran said he may resurrect the charges stemming for a dispute last Nov. 19 at a Bay County gas station between Jaye and Kloss.
Jaye, a Republican from Macomb County's Washington Township, was never charged with assault in the Bay County incident. Prosecutors did charge him with violating the restrictions placed on his driver's license, but the charge was later dropped because Jaye had not been read his Miranda rights.
Meanwhile, a Florida judge on Tuesday delayed Jaye's hearing on the domestic battery charge for one week to give prosecutors more time to question witnesses.
Tony Schall, a spokesman for the state attorney's office in Florida, said the hearing is now scheduled for May 15. On that date, prosecutors will decide whether to retain the domestic violence charge, amend the charge or drop it, Schall said.
