Court Watching: All three men in Sumpter roller rink crimes now in custody

The third suspect in the Sumpter roller rink stabbing and gunplay on Halloween 2014 is now in custody.
Santino Dominic Deleon, 24, a habitual offender from Saginaw, was scheduled to be arraigned by video before Judge Brian Oakley at 34th District Court on Feb. 3, but the connection could not be made.
Finally, the officials trying to set up the video arraignment found that, although Deleon had been scheduled with Saginaw jailers for a 10 a.m. arraignment by video, he was instead in a dentist’s chair at the jail, “all drugged up.”
“Obviously, video doesn’t work,” said Judge Oakley, adding that Deleon will be arraigned in person on Feb. 10 and his probable cause conference would be held then.
Sumpter Township police officers drove to Saginaw to pick him up on Feb. 10. His co-defendant Robert Kristopher Stilson, 26, was due for his preliminary exam on the case on Feb. 10, but Judge Oakley said the cases for the two co-defendants should be kept together, so the two had their probable cause conferences on Feb. 10 and then their preliminary exam dates were set for March 9 at 10 a.m. before Judge David Parrott.
Sumpter officers will have to drive to Lansing to pick up the victims for the March 9 exam since they all live there.
Both Deleon and Stilson are charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do harm less than murder, armed robbery, and felonious assault.
Deleon is in custody in Saginaw without bond since there reportedly are several other serious charges against him in that venue. Charles Longstreet is Deleon’s court-appointed attorney.
Stilson’s retained attorney is Sheldon Halpern who filed a motion to have all the discovery at the county’s expense since his client is indigent.
Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Doug Dwyer said Stilson retained a lawyer and then asks for transcripts at no charge, which doesn’t make sense. The attorney obtains money and wants the government to pay for the evidence, Dwyer said.
Judge Oakley asked how much the discovery is and Sumpter Detective John Toth said it was $97 and in addition Halpern got the transcripts of the codefendant’s case for nothing.
Judge Oakley denied Halpern’s motion on Feb. 3. He said the next week, Halpern could make his announced motion to request the judge reduce Stilson’s $500,000/10% bond.
On Feb. 10, Halpern told Judge Oakley that Stilson had never been in trouble in his life. He is deeply involved in his own life with his fiancée’s two children and his twin daughters who just turned one.
Halpern pointed out that his fiancé, his mother, stepdad, step grandmother and other family members were present in the courtroom that day. He said Stilson is a barber and auto mechanic who is involved in starting an indoor skate boarding facility in Saginaw.
“The judge who set the bond had no information about him whatsoever, except from the police,” Halpern argued.
He said he wanted to get his client a bond he can make and he is not going to run.
Halpern said Stilson was arrested when he went to a bar with someone who was involved. Hundreds of people were at the scene of the crime and police told everybody to leave and there could have been witnesses, Halpern said.
Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Doug Dwyer said the suspect has strong Saginaw ties and it could be difficult to find him if he ceased to appear in court.
Sumpter Detective John Toth told Judge Oakley that co-defendant Ralph Rosas who was convicted is shown on surveillance tapes as being together with Stilson from the very beginning of the incident. When police discovered someone was stabbed, suspects ran and were pursued by a Belleville police officer, Toth said.
Toth pointed out that when Rosas went for a bond reduction at circuit court, the judged raised his bond instead of lowering it.
“He is not Mr. Rosas,” said Halpern. “He is not the one who stabbed somebody. He did not hurt anyone.”
Judge Oakley agreed to refer Stilson to a pretrial services bond review at circuit court. But later, Halpern asked if it was OK if he asked Judge Green to reduce the bond and Oakley said he had no problem with that.
The third codefendant in the Sumpter roller rink case was Ralph Rosas, 29, also of Saginaw who last summer was convicted by a Wayne County Jury of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder and armed robbery. He was found not guilty of assault with intent to commit murder and the felonious assault charge was dismissed.
Rosas is serving 18.75 to 50 years in prison, currently in the St. Louis, MI, Correctional Facility. He is appealing his conviction.