Jaylin Kasmier-Alante Crayton, 24, of Southfield, was bound over to Wayne County Circuit Court for a Nov. 13 arraignment on the information after a Nov. 6 preliminary exam before 34th District Court Judge Tina Brooks Green.
Crayton is charged with possession of a weapon by a felon, possession of ammunition by a felon, carrying a concealed weapon, and two weapons charges.
He is lodged in Wayne County Jail on a bond of $20,000/10% and has another felony warrant pending in Texas.
Before the preliminary exam started, Crayton’s retained attorney Adam Clements stipulated to two prior convictions, one in Clinton County (weapons-firearms, receiving and concealing) and one in Oakland County (larceny from a motor vehicle), for the purposes of the exam only.
The first witness called by the Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Kiefer Cox was a man who worked for Great Lakes Security at the Trilogy Apartments at 11175 Haggerty Rd. in Van Buren Township.
He testified at about 2:30 a.m. on July 22 he was concluding his last patrol when he observed a male by the fence at Lighthouse Point. He said he asked the man what was going on and he stated he walked over from Southport, another apartment complex a mile away. The guard testified the man said he had walked through people’s backyards in Haggerty subdivision. He testified the man said he had relatives in the apartments.
The guard said the man, now identified as Crayton, asked the guard to drive him to Wayne Road, but the guard said no. He then asked the guard if he could plug in his phone to his vehicle to charge it up. The guard said it took about seven minutes for Crayton to charge up his phone enough to use and he made contact with somebody.
The guard testified Crayton was anxious to get out of there and kept moving around and putting his hands in and out of his pockets. The guard said as Crayton was backing up, he saw a bulging firearm shape in the “12 o’clock position” behind a belt buckle at Crayton’s waist under his shirt.
He testified Crayton walked toward the North I-94 Service Drive and the guard drove to another location and called Van Buren Police.
The guard testified he told the dispatcher that Crayton was under the influence, had a weapon under his shirt, and had been walking through back yards and then jumped a fence.
VBT Officers Chris Hayes and Michael Rini arrived in separate cars and the guard provided a description, he said. The guard said they found Crayton at a local gas station. Police asked the guard to file a report at the police station.
Under cross examination by defense attorney Clements, the guard said he saw the “footprint” of a semi-automatic weapon behind Crayton’s belt buckle.
The second witness was VBT Police Officer Rini who said he and Officer Hayes were dispatched, in separate vehicles, to the call of a man possibly armed with a handgun. Officer Rini said a man fitting the description was observed at the west side of Haggerty crossing to the BP gas station.
Officer Rini testified that police stopped the man and did a pat down and retrieved a handgun from the front of Crayton’s waist. Officer Rini said it was a small model Glock, semi-automatic with ammunition in the magazine but no round in the chamber.
Officer Rini said Crayton said he did not have a license for a concealed weapon. He reported the man said he carried the firearm for personal protection.
Defense attorney Clements showed a video of Crayton’s interaction with police, obviously taken by a young lady who was attempting to pick him up. Clements protested that the “Terry pat” which Rini testified was done to Crayton was not done. The video shows the front view of Officer Hayes just raising Crayton’s shirt to find the firearm.
Officer Rini was shown the video. He was behind Officer Hayes and said he did not see the “Terry pat” from that location.
Prosecutor Cox made a motion to bind Crayton over to circuit court to face the charges. Attorney Clements said you have to look at the totality of the circumstances and Crayton took 7-10 minutes to charge his phone and did not threaten the guard.
“My problem is people have concealed weapons,” said Judge Green. “Why would you stop him?”
She said lifting the shirt is not a “Terry pat”, but she conceded the gun would have been found eventually.
“Was there probable cause to approach him at all?” Judge Green asked.
Attorney Clements quoted the officers shown talking on the video, asking the guard how he could see the gun when they’re both officers and they didn’t see anything.
Clements said this makes him think that police could stop him if he is just walking down the street with a bulge at his waist.
There was a difference in what the prosecutor heard from police on the video, “We barely saw it,” and what Clements said about them not seeing anything.
Judge Green asked to see the video and the laptop was brought up to the benchand she watched it.
“We barely see it and we’re officers,” is what was said, Judge Green noted.
The defense attorney said that on the video Officer Hayes said Crayton was probably on his way to Inkster or Wayne to kill somebody. Clements said Crayton’s sister lives in the apartments and Crayton had been there before. He said the security guard lied when he said he’d never seen Crayton before.
The prosecutor said the guard saw the imprint of the gun on Crayton’s shirt.
Judge Green said there was enough probable cause to bind him over but she didn’t think it was a strong case.
Judge Green at first amended the bond to personal bond, but then was persuaded by the defense attorney to leave the $20,000/10% bond in place because of the pending felony warrant from Texas.
Micaiah Carlin Minor
A probable cause conference was held before Judge Green by Micaiah Carlin Minor, 17, of Canton on a charge of second-degree murder in the death of Van Buren Township resident John Robert McElreath, 64, on May 7 in an auto crash at the intersection of Belleville and Ecorse roads.
It is alleged that Minor, an unlicensed driver, was driving southbound on Belleville Road at a high rate of speed, when he disregarded a red light at Ecorse, crossed over the double-yellow line and drove into northbound traffic, striking the victim in his car. McElreath died from his injuries in the crash.
An independent competency hearing had been requested by the defense on Oct. 16 and on Nov. 6 retained defense attorney David Cripps stipulated to his client’s competency to proceed. A preliminary exam was set for 9:05 a.m., Jan. 2, 2020 before 34th District Court Judge Brian A. Oakley.
Minor is free after posting bond of $50,000/10%.
Attorney Cripps had been scheduled for the probable cause conference for his client at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 6, but didn’t arrive until after noon. Waiting for his arrival was the defendant and his family, a representative from Wayne Detroit Mental Health, and an insurance attorney for a pending civil case.
Heather Given Profitt
Two charges against Heather Given Profitt, 41, of Belleville, were dismissed by Judge Green at the request of the prosecutor on Nov. 6.
Profitt had been charged with identity theft and possession/sale of a stolen or counterfeit insurance certificate on Aug. 7 in the City of Belleville. She was free on $10,000 personal bond.