Wayne County Special Prosecutor Sona Movsisyan brought the case of Alexander Joseph Forsythe back to 34th District Court on March 16 with a motion hearing because she didn’t think he should be allowed to be released to his parent’s home in Livonia on a tether.
Judge Lisa Martin said on March 9, Forsythe was granted $10,000 personal bond and could be released to live at his parents’ home in Livonia because his wife, the victim, lived in Van Buren Township and there would be no contact.
But Prosecutor Movsisyan said the complainant works at a yacht club in Livonia and, in another incident, the defendant brandished his mother’s weapon at his wife at her job. Her childcare also is in Livonia, she said. Movsisyan said the defendant made contact with his wife from the Westland Jail where he was being held a couple of days after the hearing where he was told no contact.
She told the judge this raised concerns because he had access to weapons.
Forsythe’s attorney Tyrone Bickerdt said his client was held on a traffic or misdemeanor charge in Westland and the charges were dismissed. His client was seeking access to his mental health medication, Bickerdt said. He said because of the delay with the tether, he has had to spend one more week in jail.
Forsythe’s live exam is March 28.
Judge Martin lectured Forsythe that no contact means no contact at all. She said the concern is that the complainant works in Livonia and the defendant is not working and would be like under house arrest.
Bickerdt said he doesn’t know if the charges of contact are true.
“The court modified the bond last week,” Judge Martin said. “He is to be on tether. If he gets in contact, she will report and he will be back in jail.”
Forsythe is charged with unlawful imprisonment, assaulting / resisting / obstructing a police officer, indecent exposure, and domestic violence on Feb. 21 in Van Buren Township.
At the March 9 court session, Movsisyan said an off-duty police officer was a witness to the domestic violence and when he tried to intervene to help the victim, the defendant barricaded himself in their home with his wife and child. It took many officers to end the standoff, she said. He is not to return to his Willow Way address under his bond stipulations.
Shabrea Lashawn Nunn
Shabrea Lashawn Nunn, 28, of Westland, did not appear for her Aug. 18 zoom arraignment and pretrial and a bench warrant was signed for her arrest. Her $5,000 personal bond was revoked and her bond now will be $5,000/10%. Her notice for the court date was returned several times by the post office as undeliverable.
She is charged with having no insurance under the insurance code on Feb. 3, 2020 in the City of Belleville.
Krystal Mari Falcon
Krystal Mari Falcon, 39, of Van Buren Township and previously of Sumpter, was before Judge Martin on Aug. 18 for her arraignment and probable cause conference on a felony charge of possession of narcotic or cocaine less than 25 grams on Aug. 19, 2020 in Sumpter Township. Her attorney David Goldstein asked for personal bond and Judge Martin said law enforcement in Sumpter Township asked for $5,000/10% bond, but she will depart from that and set $5,000 personal bond. She said discovery is outstanding so she adjourned the probable cause conference to Sept. 8. On Sept. 8, Judge Green adjourned the probable cause conference to Oct. 6. At that date, she waived her preliminary exam and she was bound over to circuit court for her arraignment on the information on Oct. 20. A calendar conference had been set for Feb. 4. A final conference is April 14.
Robert Keith Branim
Robert Keith Branim, 46, of Van Buren Township was present for his Aug. 18 remote pretrial on charges of malicious destruction of property less than $200 and trespass on June 27, 2019 in Belleville. He took a plea deal and pled guilty to MDOP less than $200 and the trespass charge was dropped. The sentence was under advisement for six months with no reporting and a $345 fine. Defense attorney Samer Jadallah said on Sept. 1, his client was to enter a one-year-long, in-place treatment center for his many problems and he would be unable to pay anything while there.
The fees for seven cases were consolidated to $2,877 and he would be paying $50 a month so last payment of $27 would be due on Oct. 15, 2026. On Jan. 26 the court record reflects an email was sent to the defendant asking for proof of rehab since Life Challenge stated he no longer was there. No payments had been made.
Robert Glenn Courter
On Aug. 25, a pretrial was adjourned until Sept. 14 for Robert Glenn Courter, 55, of Van Buren Township, who is charged with stalking and two counts of motor vehicle tracking device on Feb. 19, 2021 in Van Buren Township. Defense attorney Jeffrey Bennett said he is trying to negotiate with Prosecutor Larry King and King had to talk to his supervisors about a possible plea deal.
On Sept. 14, charges were dismissed on the two motor-vehicle tracking devices on a motion of the prosecuting attorney. Courter pled guilty to stalking and sentencing was set for Oct. 14. On that date Judge Oakley ordered him to pay $1,745 within 30 days, have 36 months of probation, continue counseling, have no contact with the complaining victim, and can have the tether removed.
James Allison Devlin
James Allison Devlin, 66, of Van Buren Township had been charged by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for feeding deer on Dec. 5, 2020 and his pretrial had been delayed until defense attorney Murray Duncan could research the law.
At the Aug. 25 pretrial, Judge Oakley wanted to hear Devlin’s story. He said he lives on five acres in Van Buren Township and has been feeding the wildlife for 25 years. He said he puts out feeders around his property to see from his window the turkeys, rabbits, deer and whatever other animals come. He said he is not baiting and all the feeders are visible from his house. He has been married for 33 years and is employed.
In a plea deal, Devlin pled no-contest to the charge and Judge Oakley gave him a delayed sentence for six months, with the charge being wiped from his record after that time if there are no further problems. The judge also set $400 in court costs but did not suspend Devlin’s hunting privilege.