Former police officer gets jail time, probation
Published: Friday, April 18, 2008, 11:45 PM
Updated: Friday, April 18, 2008, 11:47 PM
By The Grand Rapids Press
The Grand Rapids Press
http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/04/former_police_officer_gets_jai.html
ALLEGAN -- A former Lowell police officer accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy in 2002 was sentenced to 11 months in jail and five years of probation Friday in Allegan County Circuit Court.
Brandon Clare Robinson, 31, of Wyoming, was sentenced for second-degree child abuse as part of a plea agreement where prosecutors dismissed a sexual assault charge.
Allegations against Robinson surfaced last year when the teen, now 18, divulged to his sister the molestation secret he kept for five years.
The victim alleged Robinson molested him several times over at least a year at Sandy Pines Resort near Hopkins, where Robinson had a trailer.
Robinson, who resigned from the Lowell Police Department in February, had worked full time since 2005 and part time since December 2002.
Before that, he worked as a part-time deputy with the Allegan County Sheriff's Department from April 2000 to May 2002.
He had been on unpaid administrative leave before his resignation.
At Friday's sentencing, the victim talked about the molestation's harmful emotional impact, Allegan County Assistant Prosecutor Doug Ketchum said.
The child abuse conviction keeps Robinson off the state's sex-offender registry, but Ketchum said it should end any career in law enforcement.
"I would think anyone with any kind of felony conviction would not be a likely candidate for that type of job," he said.
Ketchum said it is not uncommon for victims to come forward about sexual assaults years after they occur, particularly when the victim is a child. Sometimes, they are frightened to tell anyone until they get older.
Officer in sex case quits Lowell job
Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2008, 9:33 AM
Updated: Wednesday, February 20, 2008, 9:35 AM
By John Tunison
The Grand Rapids Press
http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/02/officer_in_sex_case_quits_lowe.html
ALLEGAN -- A Lowell police officer accused of molesting a teenage friend six years ago at an Allegan County campground has resigned from the force after pleading guilty to a lesser charge.
Brandon Clare Robinson, 30, was on unpaid administrative leave from the Lowell Police Department since May. He resigned Monday, police said.
He was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct after the alleged 2002 molestation surfaced when the teen, now 18, told his sister.
Robinson pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree child abuse, a four-year felony.
Robinson, a full-time Lowell officer since 2005 who worked part time for more than two years before that, was accused of molesting a teen family friend at a trailer Robinson had at Sandy Pines resort near Hopkins.
During a hearing in May, the teen testified he sometimes would spend the night at the trailer and said he was molested several times over months.
Robinson was not employed with Lowell then, but worked as a part-time Allegan County sheriff's deputy from April 2000 to May 2002.
He pleaded guilty to the child-abuse charge just days before his trial was to begin in Allegan County Circuit Court.
"He had to put his family first," said Robinson's attorney, Frank Stanley. "He has a young child at home. He wanted to think about what was in the best interest for his family."
Stanley said the trial may have come down to the teen's word against that of Robinson.
"There was a pretty significant factual dispute about what happened," Stanley said. "This was the best compromise."
Lowell Police Chief Jim Valentine said Robinson came to the Police Department on Monday to submit his resignation. With a felony conviction pending, he knew he could no longer serve, Valentine said.
The allegations against Robinson, described as a capable and respected officer, are still baffling even today, he said.
"It was just a state of total shock and surprise to our entire staff," Valentine said. "He was an outstanding police officer."
The department is close-knit, with seven full-time officers, eight part-time officers and two clerks.
Robinson could receive jail time at his March 14 sentencing, but is not expected to receive prison, his attorney said.
Lowell Police Officer Charged With Molesting 13 Year Old Boy
The Grand River Press
May 25, 2007
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-36/1180015117327330.xml&coll=6
ALLEGAN, MICHIGAN – A Lowell police officer remains on administrative leave while facing criminal charges for an alleged 2002 sexual assault against a 13-year-old boy.
Brandon Clare Robinson, a full-time officer with Lowell for two years, is accused of molesting the teen in a trailer he had at Sandy Pines resort near Hopkins.
Robinson, 30, of Wyoming, worked as a part-time deputy with the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department from April 2000 to May 2002, then became a part-time officer with Lowell in December 2002 before joining the force full-time, according to officials with the two agencies.
“He has been an outstanding officer,” Lowell Police Chief James Valentine said. “It kind of caught us all by surprise when this came up.”
Robinson earlier this week was ordered to stand trial in Allegan County Circuit Court on two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct against a victim 13 to 15 years old.
His attorney, Steven Freeman of Lansing, said Robinson maintains his innocence.
“He denies any sexual involvement with this teen at all, regardless of when,” he said. “And there have been no other complaints by anybody, ever.
“It’s curious to me why he (the alleged victim) wants to come forward five years after something happens. That strikes me as odd,” Freeman said.
Robinson voluntarily came to Valentine in late February to divulge he was being investigated by the state police at the Wayland post. He was placed on paid administrative leave at the time.
Later, when charges were filed, he was placed on unpaid leave pending the outcome of the case.
The alleged victim, now 18, testified at a Tuesday court hearing that Robinson was a family friend who often drove him from Wyoming to Sandy Pines in 2002. The teen often would spend the night at the trailer.
“It started out doing truth-or-dare, then it turned into a sexual thing,” he testified.
He said the molestations happened several times over at least a year, but he did not tell anyone because Robinson told him not to and called it a “secret we have to take to our graves.”
“It didn’t seem right, but he told me it was normal and everyone did it,” the teen testified. “He had been a friend of the family for years. I trusted him.
“I was 13. I didn’t know right from wrong, really,” he said.
The teen said he kept the secret until last November, when he told his sister after a weekend hunting trip involving several people, including Robinson. The teen and Robinson did not get along during the trip, testimony showed.
Robinson is a patrol officer for Lowell Police, working an overlay shift between the normal day and night shifts. He is married, and his wife is pregnant, his attorney said.
Valentine said he will conduct an administrative investigation on Robinson when the court case is finished, so as to avoid any perception of conflict with the state police probe.
“Brandon has just been a very dedicated officer,” he said.
Freeman said the case essentially puts Robinson’s word against the teen’s word.
“To the best of my knowledge, there are no witnesses,” he said.
Robinson did not return a call seeking comment, and the state police detective who investigated the case was unavailable for comment.
Lowell officer charged in sex assault against boy
Thursday, May 24, 2007
By John Tunison
The Grand Rapids Press
http://www.mlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-36/1180015117327330.xml&coll=6
ALLEGAN -- A Lowell police officer remains on administrative leave while facing criminal charges for an alleged 2002 sexual assault against a 13-year-old boy.
Brandon Clare Robinson, a full-time officer with Lowell for two years, is accused of molesting the teen in a trailer he had at Sandy Pines resort near Hopkins.
Robinson, 30, of Wyoming, worked as a part-time deputy with the Allegan County Sheriff's Department from April 2000 to May 2002, then became a part-time officer with Lowell in December 2002 before joining the force full-time, according to officials with the two agencies.
"He has been an outstanding officer," Lowell Police Chief James Valentine said. "It kind of caught us all by surprise when this came up."
Robinson earlier this week was ordered to stand trial in Allegan County Circuit Court on two counts of third degree criminal sexual conduct against a victim 13 to 15 years old.
His attorney, Steven Freeman of Lansing, said Robinson maintains his innocence.
"He denies any sexual involvement with this teen at all, regardless of when," he said. "And there have been no other complaints by anybody, ever.
"It's curious to me why he (the alleged victim) wants to come forward five years after something happens. That strikes me as odd," Freeman said.
Robinson voluntarily came to Valentine in late February to divulge he was being investigated by the state police at the Wayland post. He was placed on paid administrative leave at the time.
Later, when charges were filed, he was placed on unpaid leave pending the outcome of the case.
The alleged victim, now 18, testified at a Tuesday court hearing that Robinson was a family friend who often drove him from Wyoming to Sandy Pines in 2002. The teen often would spend the night at the trailer.
"It started out doing truth-or-dare, then it turned into a sexual thing," he testified.
He said the molestations happened several times over at least a year, but he did not tell anyone because Robinson told him not to and called it a "secret we have to take to our graves."
"It didn't seem right, but he told me it was normal and everyone did it," the teen testified. "He had been a friend of the family for years. I trusted him.
"I was 13. I didn't know right from wrong, really," he said.
The teen said he kept the secret until last November, when he told his sister after a weekend hunting trip involving several people, including Robinson. The teen and Robinson did not get along during the trip, testimony showed.
Robinson is a patrol officer for Lowell Police, working an overlay shift between the normal day and night shifts. He is married, and his wife is pregnant, his attorney said.
Valentine said he will conduct an administrative investigation on Robinson when the court case is finished, so as to avoid any perception of conflict with the state police probe.
"Brandon has just been a very dedicated officer," he said.
Freeman said the case essentially puts Robinson's word against the teen's word.
"To the best of my knowledge, there are no witnesses," he said.
Robinson did not return a call seeking comment, and the state police detective who investigated the case was unavailable for comment
