Detroit police officer accused of sexually abusing young family member will go to trial
Abuse began when girl was 6 years old, witness says
Click On Detroit
September 22, 2022
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A judge has decided that there is enough evidence to send a Detroit police officer to trial in a child sex abuse case.
The decision came after a 15-year-old high school student testified that Michael Anthony Carson sexually abused her for years.
Carson is a family member of hers. He has been charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor.
She testified that she was six years old when Carson began ordering her to perform oral sex. She said she was 10 years old when Carson began sexual penetration almost daily.
The girl’s mother also testified on Thursday. She said she wasn’t aware of the abuse until recent years, but didn’t report it to police until months later -- in January 2022.
“I was in shock (and) denial),” her mother testified.
Carson was arrested and charged on April 1.
“The allegations stemming from this investigation, which have spanned several years, are disturbing and do not represent the overwhelming majority of the hardworking men and women of the Detroit Police Department,” Detroit police Chief James White said in a statement in April. “The DPD will continue to cooperate with the investigation.”
Carson had worked with the Detroit Police Department for 20 years and was placed on administrative leave without pay.
“These are just allegations right now,” Carson’s defense attorney Lillian Diallo said.
Bond reduced for a Detroit cop charged with rape of Oakland Co. child
Detroit News
April 11, 2022
Bloomfield Township — A veteran Detroit police officer remained jailed on charges of sexually assaulting a minor in West Bloomfield Township but received a lower bond at a court hearing Monday.
Michael A. Carson, 60, a 22-year-veteran of the Detroit Police Department was arraigned on April 1 on two counts of criminal sexual conduct involving a victim under the age of 13 years old, according to Bloomfield Township 48th District Court Records. Police said the allegations involve reported incidents over several years.
He was scheduled for a probable cause hearing before Judge Kimberly Small but his defense attorneys requested a later date to allow them more time to review evidence in the case.
Defense attorneys also cited Carson’s ties to the community, long term of public service and no prior criminal history as an adult or as a juvenile as supporting a lower bond. Carson has three adult children and seven grandchildren living out of state, attorneys said.
Small set a May 3 preliminary examination in the case and approved a request for a lower bond for Carson — $500,000 with a 10 percent provision — with certain conditions on his release.
“Obviously the nature of the allegations in this case are extremely serious,” Small told attorneys, who said she would require that Carson wear a GPS tether as a condition of release and have no contact of any kind, including by a third party, or come within five miles of the alleged victim or her mother.
One of Carson’s attorneys, Lillian Diallo, described the charges to The Detroit News as “outrageous” and said they stem from a pending divorce.
Carson was arrested with the assistance of Detroit police, a West Bloomfield Police Department spokesman said.
Detroit Police Chief James White said he was asking Carson be suspended without pay pending the outcome of the case.
“The allegations stemming from this investigation, which have spanned several years, are disturbing and do not represent the overwhelming majority of the hardworking men and women of the Detroit Police Department,” White said. “The DPD will continue to cooperate with the investigation.”
Carson faces up to life in prison if convicted of the charges.
Detroit police officer charged with sex assault of minor
Click On Detroit
Apr 8, 2022
A Detroit police officer is being held on $750,000 bond after being charged with two counts of criminal sexual conduct first degree. The victim is a minor.
Detroit Police Dept. releases vague statement about officer who did bad thing (allegedly)
Why are cops like this
Detroit Metro Times
Apr 8, 2022
Last year, the Detroit Police Department's new police chief, James E. White, acknowledged that law enforcement has a trust problem.
"I think you get the people to believe in policing and trust the police by partnerships. You get the increased trust through transparency and acknowledgment," he told the Detroit Free Press, adding, "I'm not speaking to Detroit, just generally speaking. So there has been a lack of trust in policing."
Well, things are off to a bad start. On Thursday night, DPD released the following vague statement in an email with the subject line, "Statement from Chief James E. White Regarding Officer Charged':
“The allegations stemming from this investigation, which have spanned several years, are disturbing and do not represent the overwhelming majority of the hardworking men and women of the Detroit Police Department. The DPD will continue to cooperate with the investigation.Today, I am making a request to the Board of Police Commissioners that the officer-involved be suspended without pay pending the outcome of this matter.” - James E. White, Chief of Police
That's it. That's the whole statement. There is no mention of which officer was charged, or the crime allegedly committed.
A quick Google search pulls up a Fox 2 article published Thursday about a DPD officer named Michael Anthony Carson, who was arraigned on two counts of first-degree sexual conduct on Wednesday for raping a minor in West Bloomfield.
According to the article, Carson, 60, is accused of abusing the child for seven years, since the child was 6.
The obfuscating language commonly used by police was undoubtedly a huge factor that led to the 2020 summer of protests against police brutality. When the Minneapolis Police Department first described how George Floyd died, it simply reported that a man died after he "appeared to be suffering medical distress." A now-famous video shot by a 17-year-old bystander later showed that Floyd died after officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck while other officers looked on. Chauvin is now behind bars for manslaughter, but he almost certainly would not be if the enormous discrepancy between how MPD described the incident and the video evidence was not revealed.
Police departments — and the journalists who parrot them — routinely use a passive voice and vague phrases like "officer-involved shooting" to describe when cops shoot people. Police love to say "officer-involved." In his statement, White says that the "officer-involved" should be suspended without pay, even though that doesn't grammatically make sense. Police are just so used to typing "officer-involved" that at this point it's muscle memory.
Metro Times replied to the press release by asking who the officer was, what they were charged with, and why DPD and other police departments always have to be so unnecessarily opaque about everything. We have not received a response.
Detroit police officer charged with sexual assault of a minor in Oakland Co.
The Detroit News
April 08, 2022
West Bloomfield Twp. — A veteran Detroit police officer is jailed and facing charges of sexually assaulting a minor in West Bloomfield Township, police confirmed Friday.
Michael A. Carson, 60, a 22-year-veteran of the Detroit Police Department, was arraigned on April 1 on two counts of criminal sexual conduct involving a victim under the age of 13 years old, according to Bloomfield District Court records. He is held in the Oakland County Jail in lieu of a $750,000 bond.
A probable cause hearing is scheduled for Monday.
The arrest was based on a complaint to township police by the alleged victim regarding incidents over several years, Detroit police said.
“I can confirm he was arrested "with the assistance of Detroit police,” West Bloomfield Township Deputy Chief Curt Lawson said.
Lawson declined further comment.
Carson’s co-counsel, Lillian Diallo, described the charges as "outrageous."
"It's outrageous to charge and jail a person on such a high bond on unsubstantiated charges which stem out of a pending divorce," Diallo said.
"They come from someone who alleges witnessing things over several years but never made a report or complaint about them," she added. "There are going to be some trouble with this case and those who brought it."
Detroit Police Chief James White said “the allegations stemming from this investigation, which have spanned several years, are disturbing and do not represent the overwhelming majority of the hardworking men and women of the Detroit Police Department. The DPD will continue to cooperate with the investigation."
White said he intended to make a request to the Board of Police Commissioners that Carson "be suspended without pay pending the outcome of this matter.”
Carson faces up to life in prison if convicted as charged.
Detroit PD Officer Michael Carson: Administrative Leave Without Pay
Detroit Board Of Police Commissioners
April 7, 2022
Detroit police officer accused of raping a minor
FOX 2 News - Detroit
Apr 7, 2022
A Detroit police officer has been charged and is being held in the Oakland County Jail, on a $750,000 bond, cash surety.
Detroit police officer charged in sex abuse of minor
Click On Detroit
Apr 7, 2022
A Detroit police officer is being charged with two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
Detroit Police Officer Charged In Sexual Assault Of Minor
CBS News - Detroit
April 07, 2022
(CBS DETROIT) – A Detroit police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting a minor, Fox 2 News reports.
On Wednesday, April 6, Michael Anthony Carson, was arraigned on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Oakland County.
Sources told Fox 2 News that the assaults have been going on for seven years and the victim is believed to be the only victim assaulted by Carson.
“The allegations stemming from this investigation, which have spanned several years, are disturbing and do not represent the overwhelming majority of the hardworking men and women of the Detroit Police Department. The DPD will continue to cooperate with the investigation.” Police Chief James White said in a statement. “Today, I am making a request to the Board of Police Commissioners that the officer-involved be suspended without pay pending the outcome of this matter.”
Law enforcement from other jurisdictions are investigating this case, which could lead to more charges.
Carson is being held on on a $750,000 cash/surety bond.
Detroit police officer charged with sexually assaulting minor
FOX 2 News - Detroit
April 7, 2022
WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Detroit police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting a minor in West Bloomfield.
The officer, Michael Anthony Carson, was arraigned on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct Wednesday in Oakland County, FOX 2 has learned.
According to sources, the assaults have been going on for seven years. The minor is believed to be the only victim assaulted by Carson.
Carson is being held on a $750,000 cash/surety bond.
More charges could follow, as law enforcement from other jurisdictions are also investigation Carson's actions.
Detroit police are aware of the allegations but did not immediately provide a comment.
The department will request the Police Board of Commissioners move to suspend Carson without pay and health insurance.
Detroit cop accused of sexually assaulting minor over course of 7 years
MLive
Apr. 07, 2022
WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI -- Michael Anthony Carson, a police officer with the Detroit Police Department, has been charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct after he allegedly sexually assaulted a minor.
According to Fox 2 Detroit, Carson, 59, was arraigned Wednesday in Oakland County on the charges stemming from an investigation into claims that he assaulted the minor. Fox 2 also reports the assaults took place over the course of seven years.
During the arraignment, the judge set bond at $750,000 cash/surety and Carson is currently being held at the Oakland County Jail.
The minor involved in the case is believed to be the only known victim at the time, but further charges could be brought against Carson by other jurisdictions. The Detroit Police Department is aware of the case, but did not comment on the matter.
However, the department is expected to ask the Police Board of Commissioners to suspend Carson without pay and health insurance as the case unfolds.
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