During a special court session on Jan. 25 to discuss court logistics and a defense attorney’s objection to the protection order on the evidence, 34th District Court Judge Tina Brooks Green said the preliminary exam for the three defendants in the Egypt Covington murder case has been reset for March.
Judge Green said there was an issue with getting all the defendants and their attorneys to the live exam planned to begin Feb. 22, so alternative dates were set for Monday, March 22; Tuesday, March, 23; and, if it runs into three days, Thursday, March 25. She said everyone involved was good with these new dates. They want to start early, so 8 or 8:30 a.m. will be considered.
She said the next probable cause conference in the case had been set for 11 a.m., Feb. 10, and they could set another conference before the exam, if needed.
Judge Green said the voluminous paper and electronic investigative reports from the Michigan State Police and Van Buren Township Police will be sent immediately to defense attorney Coral Watt, after Watt agreed to the protective order.
Watt, who is defending Shane Lamar Evans of Sumpter Township, filed an objection to the protection order on the discovery and so the evidence had not been sent to her.
Prosecutor Victoria Shackelford said she had asked for a protective order for all the discovery to protect dissemination. She said she and Watt met and did attempt to solve their problem without getting the court involved but were unsuccessful.
Judge Green, who had offered to meet with them, if necessary, called them to the special session on Jan. 25.
Prosecutor Shackelford said this is an open investigation and others are under investigation and may be arraigned. She also said all three defendants are related in some manner – stepbrothers, cousins.
She said intense media attention has been given to the case and that is expected to continue. The prosecution did not want the details getting out by social media. She did not want people not part of the case to have the details and wanted to protect the information.
Watt said there was a misunderstanding. She did not want to disseminate the written or digital information to a third party, but she wanted to be able to discuss certain aspects of the case with her client’s family members.
She objected to the blanket protective order. She said she did not wish to divulge the identity of witnesses or those being investigated.
“There are lots of ways to do this,” Watt said. “This is overboard.
“I don’t know what these items are because I don’t have any discovery. The court could have done a temporary order,” she said.
Judge Green said in order for them to release the discovery to her without a protective order, they would have to redact thousands and thousands of pages of discovery and that is an undue burden of the prosecution.
“I will grant Ms. Shackelford’s protective order motion as of today” [for defendant Evans], said Judge Green.
Judge Green said she already granted Shackelford’s protective order for the first two defendants – Timothy Moore and Shandon Groom – and if there are issues Watt wants to discuss with the parents, they can talk about it off the record at the Feb. 10 court session.
Judge Green said they could carve out exceptions as relief from the protective order.
The hard drive provided by Watt to Shackelford already is loaded with the large amount of discovery and would be made available since Watt had verbally agreed to the order.
The details of the logistics for getting the three defendants to the courtroom was discussed. Judge Green said it would be worked out for them to be delivered from the Wayne County Jail to the courthouse by separate means so they are kept separate.
She said they may ask for one to be delivered to the court in the jail van and ask the Michigan State Police to provide two troopers in two separate cars to deliver the other two.
Judge Green said there will be problems placing people around the courtroom due to social distancing rules. She said the only ones allowed in the courthouse will be the defendants, their attorneys, the officer in charge, and a witness to be called. She suggested one defendant and attorney could sit in the jury box and the other two defendants and their attorneys at far ends of the courtroom from each other. Everyone will be masked up, she said.
“I’ll see everybody Feb. 10,” Judge Green said. “If there are any other issues, let me know.”
The three defendants are being held without bond in the Wayne County Jail for murder charges in the June 22, 2017 shooting death of Egypt Covington in her Van Buren Township home. The death was investigated by Van Buren Township police at first and then, last summer, was turned over to the Michigan State Police at the insistent request of some family members.
Joe Stafford
Joe Stafford, 55, of Powder Springs, GA, was due for his probable cause conference at 11 a.m. Jan. 27 before Judge Brian Oakley on a charge of bank robbery in the city of Belleville on Nov. 7.
He is in the Wayne County Jail on bond of $10,000/10% and on Jan. 27 the Sheriff’s Department was unable to put him on a Zoom hookup for the 34th District Court because it said it was too busy with Zoom hookups for the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, which took precedence over district court.
After waiting 45 minutes and a report that it would be much longer, Judge Oakley adjourned the probable cause conference for a week to 11 a.m., Feb. 3 for “logistical problem.”
But on Feb. 3, the jail advised the court that Stafford was in a 10-14-day quarantine on his floor. He didn’t have COVID, but he was quarantined. Judge Oakley adjourned his probable cause conference again, this time to March 3.
Stafford is also being tried in 35th District Court for bank robbery on Nov. 5 in Canton Township. He was scheduled for his Zoom probable cause conference on the charge on Feb. 5 before Judge Michael Gerou and his preliminary exam on Feb. 12 before Judge Ronald Lowe.
On Feb. 5, Judge Gerou was advised that Stafford had been exposed to COVID in Division 2 of the Wayne County Jail and is in lockdown. His probable cause conference was adjourned to March 19.
The bond on the Canton Township charge is $250,000/10% and the bond was continued.
Dajon Donte Lewis
Dajon Donte Lewis, 18, of Sumpter Township, was arrested for a parole violation and he was back in jail. On Jan. 27, Judge Oakley said this charge was “easy-peasy.” Lewis was arraigned in December on four charges surrounding a shooting at Rawsonville Woods mobile home park and then got picked up on a warrant for violation of probation.
But Judge Oakley said that was for an old charge and the Sumpter Township Police treated it as a violation.
Judge Oakley continued Lewis’ bond on the December charges, with his tether order. Lewis had been freed after posting $100,000 bond via a bail bondsman on the Dec. 14 charges.
“This is why you have to take care of your old business,” Judge Oakley advised Lewis.
Lewis is waiting for a live exam date on his recent charges.
“Hopefully we can do the paperwork and get you out of there,” Judge Oakley said.
Joseph Donald Truskolaski
Joseph Donald Truskolaski of Wyandotte is facing a charge of operating while intoxicated/impaired/controlled substance-3rd offense in Van Buren Township on Oct. 24.
His attorney Kim Michon of Neighborhood Defender Service is seeking a reduction of the charge and possible Sobriety Court. Michon said she has paper discovery but no digital discovery, as yet.
Prosecutor Jane Gillis said she had trouble getting the discovery from Van Buren police. She noted that the defendant has a prior charge of attempted larceny in a building. Judge Oakley adjourned the probable cause conference until Feb. 17. Truskolaski is free after posting bond of $2,000/10%.
Tyreek Dujuan Armes
Tyreek Dujuan Armes, 17, of Van Buren Township was present for his Zoom probable cause conference before Judge Oakley.
Prosecutor Jane Gillis said she made an offer for the defendant to plead guilty to attempt to assault/resist/obstruct a police officer on Dec. 24 in Van Buren Township and the charge of actually assaulting the police officer would be dropped.
Armes’ attorney Kristina Longstreet of Neighborhood Defender Service said the probation could be set by the court and they will attempt to get him help for his mental health issues. She said he was in school now and doing good. He is in the 11th grade, good at math, and wants to be able to manage his emotions.
Armes said on Dec. 24 he got mad and had an outburst and when police said to stop, he didn’t stop.
His mother was with him on the Zoom court session and she said they are trying to get help. She said he has a mild cognitive disability and is emotionally impaired.
Prosecutor Gillis said her office objects to the HYTA suggestion (Holmes Youthful Trainee Act) and instead wants the probation department to really monitor his counseling for a year.
Longstreet said social workers are trying to find him something to help.
Judge Oakley said he would not levy any court costs because, “It doesn’t help anybody.” He said the probation department should be able to work out a pretty-good plan.
Keenan Deshon Black
Keenan Deshon Black, 41, of Taylor is facing a charge of embezzlement by an agent or trustee between $1,000 and $20,000 on Jan. 3, 2020 in Van Buren Township. He is free on $2,500 personal bond.
His attorney Cheryl Quick of Neighborhood Defender Service said she was missing video from outstanding discovery and she needed more time to be able to get the evidence.
Prosecutor Jane Gillis said she will get that to her that afternoon. “I can’t control the bank,” she said.
Judge Oakley adjourned the probable cause conference to 9:30 a.m., Feb. 17.