On Oct. 7, a preliminary exam was held before 34th District Court Chief Judge Tina Brooks Green for Onnik Hacik Ceceyan, 57.
He was charged with assaulting his son by strangulation on June 4 in an apartment at 46070 Lake Villa Drive in Van Buren Township. Ceceyan was out on $10,000 personal recognizance bond.
Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Doug Dwyer called one witness Kevin Ceceyan, the son, who testified his father “choked me out” for 9-10 seconds and then he broke away and called VBT police.
“I didn’t do anything,” Kevin testified, saying his father kept saying, “f—k blood.” He said his father was aggressive and angry. When the father put his hands around Kevin’s neck, “I felt my breath faintly disappearing. I was still able to breathe, but not normally. I felt my pulse in my throat.”
When Dwyer asked if he was afraid, Kevin said he was.
Court appointed defense attorney David Lankford asked Kevin his age, which was 27. Lankford pointed out his dad is 30 years older. The two men have the same height, about 5’7”, with Kevin being 210 pounds and the dad about 160 pounds.
He pointed out Kevin had considerably more body mass. Kevin testified he sought no medical treatment for his neck and saw no marks on his neck.
“I broke free,” Kevin testified, adding, “I could tell he wasn’t using all his pressure.”
Lankford said Kevin was able to slip out because the father held him “with two hands lightly,” as Kevin stated in his June 4 statement to police.
In re-cross examination, Dwyer asked about previous contact with his father and Kevin said this choking happened four days to a week after his father called him and said he was going to “shoot my fat ass.”
Lankford objected twice and Judge Green overruled him twice. Dwyer said the statement shows hostility toward the son.
“He pulled a gun on me in the past … He was living with me at the time,” Kevin said.
“But he didn’t ‘shoot your fat ass,’” Lankford asked and Judge Green asked Lankford to rephrase his question. “I was only quoting his testimony,” Lankford replied.
There were no other witnesses and Dwyer asked for Ceceyan to be bound over to circuit court. He said the father intentionally impeded normal breathing.
Lankford said there was not sufficient harm for the charges.
Judge Green noted Kevin testified that the father was “choking you out” but she doubts it was the kind of choking that is a 10-year felony. Because there was choking, she bound Ceceyan over to circuit court for an arraignment on the information on Oct. 21.
Michael Ryan Pate
Michael Ryan Pate, 31, posted his $3,000/10% bond and was present for his probable cause hearing before Judge Green. He was charged with possession of analogues, possession of marijuana, and driving while license suspended in Sumpter Township on May 30, 2013. His retained attorney was J. McKenzie Duke.
A plea deal was reached and Pate pled guilty to possession of marijuana and the analogue charge was dismissed. He also pled guilty to an added charge of no operator’s license on person and the DWLS was dismissed.
Judge Green sentenced him to one year deferred sentence with non-reporting probation on the marijuana charge. His total fee was $1,345 plus four days on the court work program.
Attorney Duke said Pate has a medical marijuana card and he uses marijuana for back pain.