Court Watching: 21-month-old drug case reduced to possession for habitual offender

By Rosemary K. Otzman
Independent Editor
Michael Lee Smith, Jr., 24, was arrested by Van Buren Township Police Officer Derek Perez in June of 2012 on drug charges. But, since then he has spent seven months in the Macomb County Jail on other charges.
In court records he is labeled a repeat offender.
At his scheduled preliminary exam on March 26 at 34th District Court, he took advantage of a plea deal. His two felony charges of controlled substance/delivery of marijuana were reduced to two misdemeanors of possession of marijuana.
Chief Judge Tina Brooks Green asked him if in June 2012 he was in Van Buren Township and was in possession of marijuana times two and he said he was. The total court fees were $925.
Smith had paid 10% of his $5,000 bond on the charges and Judge Green said $450 of that would be returned to him and he could use that to help pay his fees.
Brian David Copsey
Brian David Copsey pled no contest to a charge of malicious destruction of property in the City of Belleville. His fines totaled $580 and Judge Green said if he did not reoffend in the next year the charge would be removed from his record.
Belleville Police said Copsey had let the air out of the tires of a resident on Liberty Street with whom he had an ongoing feud.