The felony cases against Christopher Isaiah Buckner, 34, of Carleton, which had been bound over to the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, were back before 34th District Court Chief Judge Brian A. Oakley on Sept. 27 for a “further exam.”
Under consideration was a circuit court plea of “attempted CCW” but there was no evidence presented about a prior weapons charge during the preliminary exam on March 1 and so Circuit Court Judge Christopher Blount sent it back to district court for reconsideration of the exam.
On Sept. 27, after discussion between Judge Oakley and the attorney and prosecutor, with Buckner present, it was determined the there was no evidence filed on what the weapon was in the previous gun case.
“There was an improper bind-over on count 4,” Judge Oakley agreed and so he removed the charges of possession of weapon by a felon and one of the felony weapon charges and sent the case back to circuit court through motions by the attorneys.
A second arraignment on the information at circuit court was set for Oct. 11. Then a final conference was scheduled for Dec. 7.
“It’s not the court’s fault at all,” said court-appointed defense attorney Jonathan Cohen referring to district court at the Sept. 27 hearing. He said he hadn’t presented that evidence and they didn’t know what the weapon was in the previous case.
Buckner had been bound over to circuit court on eight charges in a shooting on Rawsonville Road that left the victim’s hand having to be surgically reattached.
The 40-year-old victim, Ulysee Kirkland of Van Buren Township, was in court in a wheelchair and testified to the events that took place on Jan. 30, 2023 around 6:45 a.m. He testified his left hand had to be surgically attached to his body for blood flow due to his hand being shot and losing two fingers.
Kirkland testified he was traveling north on Rawsonville Road near Grove, when defendant Buckner pulled in front of him, got out of his vehicle with a long gun, and fired three rounds into his GMC-Yukon, with the first round injuring his left hand.
Kirkland knew the defendant and identified Buckner to the police as the person who shot him.
In an attempt to escape the defendant, the victim crashed into the rear of the defendant’s car, and pulled into Tim Horton’s parking lot, to wait for police and a medical team.
Buckner had been bound over on these eight charges:
• Assault with intent to murder;
• Assault with intent to do great bodily harm, less then murder;
• Assault with a dangerous weapon (felonious assault);
• Weapons, firearms – possession by felon; and
• Four felony weapons charges.
Two charges now have been dismissed.
Bond of $500,000 cash/surety was set at arraignment, but then reduced to $100,000 by Judge Lisa Martin at a probable cause conference on Feb. 15. Bond was posted through a bail bondsman.
The bond of $100,000 was continued and he was not to be released without a GPS tether.
Benjamin Richard Williams
Benjamin Richard Williams, 45, of Detroit, was scheduled for his probable cause conference on March 22 on charges of receiving and concealing a stolen vehicle and police officer assault on Feb. 21 in Van Buren Township. He was scheduled for a probable cause conference on April 5. Bond is $5,000/10%. A preliminary examination was set for May 3 for him and his co-defendant Tanya Joy Kinnen. The preliminary exams were reset for May 10 because one of the defense attorneys couldn’t attend the May 3 date.
On May 10, Williams failed to appear and a bench warrant was issued.
Tanya Joy Kinnen
Tanya Joy Kinnen, who was at a rehab in a church in Warren and previously lived in Van Buren Township, is charged with receiving and concealing a stolen vehicle and assaulting / resisting / obstructing a police officer on Feb. 21 in Van Buren Township. Her probable cause conference was March 8 and it was adjourned until March 22.
On March 22, she was not at court and her appearance was waived. A preliminary exam was set for May 3 and then adjourned until May 10 for her and her co-defendant, Benjamin Richard Williams. On May 10, she failed to appear and a bench warrant was issued.
On Aug. 28, she was video-arraigned on the bench warrant while in custody at Van Buren Township Police Department. Her probable cause conference was set for Sept. 6. Personal bond is $10,000.
On Sept. 6, her probable cause conference was adjourned to Sept. 20 because Kinnen did not appear and her attorney said she had had no contact with her client. The attorney said she would go to her house. On Sept. 20 her preliminary exam was set for Sept. 27 before Judge Oakley. But she failed to appear, so a bench warrant was issued. She was in custody at the Wayne County Jail so the warrant was canceled. An attorney was not available for an Oct. 5 arraignment, so it was postponed until Oct. 11 and then Oct. 18. An email from the defendant on Oct. 25 asked for a new date.
Destin Devon Russell
Destin Devon Russell, 24, of Belleville was arraigned on Aug. 10, 2022 and charged with having no insurance and a registration/plate violation on July 9, 2022 in the city of Belleville. His pretrial was held Aug. 10 and he was scheduled for a remote arraignment/pretrial on Sept. 7. He failed to appear and on Sept. 14 a default judgment was ordered and the case was closed.
David Lee Zirker III
David Lee Zirker III, 23, of Inkster was arraigned by Judge Green on a bench warrant on Aug. 19, 2022 for false pretenses between $200 and $1,000 in Van Buren Township on May 24, 2019. He had failed to appear on June 22, so a warrant was put out for his arrest.
A remote arraignment/pretrial was scheduled for Sept. 1, 2022.
He was in custody of the Wayne County Airport police on Aug. 19, 2022 and was also arraigned by Judge Green for carrying a concealed weapon and possession of narcotic or cocaine less than 25 grams on Aug. 17, 2022 at the airport. A probable cause conference was set for Aug. 31 on that.
No police report was available yet, so they adjourned the probable cause conference to Sept. 7. At that time the preliminary exam was set for Oct. 19. He was bound over to circuit court for an arraignment on the information, which was adjourned until Nov. 2. A calendar conference was set for Nov. 17 and then continued to Nov. 28 and then Jan. 20, 2023. A final conference was set for March 3 then to March 24. Zirker was jailed on 19 charges, mostly weapons, from a Nov. 22 incident in Westland.
On March 24 he pled guilty to carrying a concealed weapon and assault with a dangerous weapon in the Westland case and all the other Westland charges and the Van Buren Township charges were dismissed. Sentencing was June 1. Bond was $250,000 cash or surety.
He was set for a pretrial on Dec. 1, 2022 in 34th District Court for his false pretenses charge from 2019. He failed to appear so a bench warrant was issued.
Jessica Renee Montour
Jessica Renee Montour, 35, of Sumpter Township was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, domestic violence, and reckless use of a gun on Aug. 7, 2022 in Sumpter Township.
A probable cause conference was held Aug. 24 and defense attorney Sofia Nelson asked for an additional probable cause conference to give time to go over the discovery. Judge Martin set it for Sept. 7. At that time a live preliminary exam was set for Oct. 19. On Oct. 17 it was removed from the calendar for Oct. 19 and reset for Nov. 30. On Nov. 30, the concealed weapon charge was dismissed and pretrials set for the other two charges for Jan. 11. A pretrial on those charges was set for Feb. 14. A final pretrial with the complainant attending was set for Feb. 28 and at that time the charges were dismissed on a motion by the defense.
Allan Rikker Rains
Allan Rikker Rains, 27, of Sumpter Township was charged with malicious destruction of fire or police property, assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer, two counts of assault or assault and battery, and disorderly person-drunk on Aug. 13, 2022 in Sumpter Township.
He was arraigned in custody at Huron Township police lockup on Aug. 16 and his probable cause conference was set for Aug. 24. Bond was set at $5,000/10%.
His defense attorney said she was newly hired and needed to have time to research the disc with all the discovery. Judge Martin adjourned the probable cause conference to Sept. 14. A live preliminary exam was set for Oct. 26 and then reset for Dec. 7.
On Dec. 7, Judge Oakley approved Prosecutor Bryn Bailey’s plea deals on the charges. The charge of malicious destruction of fire property was reduced to malicious destruction of property and he pled no contest and was fined. He pled no contest to a reduced charge of police officer assault and was fined. He pled no contest to two counts of assault and battery and was fined and the charges will be dismissed in 12 months if there are no violations. The charge of disorderly drunk was dismissed on a motion of the prosecuting attorney. Total amount of $2,000 in fines is on a payment plan and had to be paid by March 7, 2023.
Daniel O’Neil Adams
Daniel O’Neil Adams, 20, of Redford was charged with receiving and concealing a stolen motor vehicle and retail fraud-third degree in Van Buren Township on Aug. 21, 2022.
At his probable cause conference on Aug. 31 his defense attorney Somers Brush said she needed digital footage from the prosecution so Judge Martin gave her one week, and the probable cause conference was adjourned until Sept. 7. A live preliminary exam then was set for Oct. 19. It was held and he was bound over by Judge Oakley for a Nov. 2 arraignment on the information at circuit court. A calendar conference was set for Nov. 16. Final conference was set for Jan. 25 and adjourned to Feb. 8 and continued to March 8. A violation hearing was set for April 11 and continued to May 18 and reset to May 26. He pled guilty to both charges and sentencing was June 20.
Ahmed Ali Al-Najaar
Ahmed Ali Al-Najaar, 19, of Erie, PA, and formerly of Sumpter Township, pled guilty to an improper plate on vehicle infraction and his charge of no-insurance under the Insurance Code was dismissed. This was from an incident in the city of Belleville at 11:42 p.m., April 26
On Aug. 31, 2022 Judge Martin approved the deal and fined him $200. Case closed.
Jennifer Crystal McMullan
Jennifer Crystal McMullan, 38, of Detroit was arraigned on a bench warrant by Judge Oakley on Sept. 2, 2022 stemming from a Feb. 7, 2021 charge in the City of Belleville for receiving and concealing a stolen motor vehicle and unlawful driving away of an auto. Judge Oakley canceled the warrant for her arrest and she was scheduled for her arraignment/probable cause conference on Sept. 14, 2022. Personal bond of $10,000 was set. She was in the treatment home of New Vision in Washtenaw. Her probable cause conference was set for Oct. 19.
On Oct. 19, McMullan was present via video from the Washtenaw County Jail where she was being held on another charge. Her live exam at 34th District Court was set for Nov. 30, 2022 and at that time charges were dismissed without prejudice.
Derrick Douglas Gabbard
Derrick Douglas Gabbard, 36, of Van Buren Township and formerly of Willis, was arraigned on three bench warrants by Magistrate Al Hindman on Sept. 8, 2022. Two cases were from Van Buren Township and one from Romulus.
He was arraigned on one count of assault and battery and one count of malicious destruction of property in Van Buren Township on June 2, 2022. He also was arraigned on one charge of retail fraud in Van Buren Township on June 27, 2022. He had failed to appear for court sessions on those charges so the bench warrants were issued. He was given personal bond of $5,000 and a remote pretrial date of Oct. 6, 2022. On Oct. 6, 2022 the charges were dismissed on a motion of the VBT prosecutor.
He also was arraigned on a Romulus charge of driving while license suspended in a traffic accident on June 19, 2020. A remote pretrial on that charge was set for Oct. 17, 2022 and he failed to appear, so a bench warrant was issued.
Nicole Ann Reese
Nicole Ann Reese of Lincoln Park and formerly of Van Buren Township, was arraigned by Magistrate Hindman on Sept. 8, 2022 on a charge of domestic violence on Sept. 5 in Van Buren Township. Personal bond was set at $5,000 and a remote pretrial set for Sept. 27.
On Sept. 27, Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Sona Movsisyan made a motion to dismiss the charge and the case was dismissed by Judge Martin.
Patrick James Anderson
The defense attorney for Patrick James Anderson, 43, of Ypsilanti, told Judge Oakley she did not have digital discovery for her client, so on Sept. 7, 2022 Judge Oakley adjourned Anderson’s probable cause conference to Sept. 28. Anderson is charged with operating while intoxicated-third offense on April 10, 2021 in Van Buren Township.
On Sept. 28 his live preliminary exam was set for Nov. 2. Then, it was reset for Nov. 9 and he was bound over to circuit court for a Nov. 23 arraignment on the information. A calendar conference was set for Dec. 6 and reset to Jan. 9. A final conference was set for Feb. 27. On March 22 he pled guilty. On April 28 he was sentenced to 6 months in the Wayne County Jail (minus 2 days served), 2 years of probation, a fine of $1,348, and 60 hours of community service.
Tommy L. Robinson
Tommy L. Robinson, 31, of Woodridge, IL, was due for a Sept. 14, 2022 probable cause conference on a refiled charge of possession of a weapon by a felon, carrying a concealed weapon, and weapons-felony firearm on Aug. 6 in Van Buren Township.
The first charges were dismissed without prejudice by Judge Martin on
Aug. 31 because the prosecution did not have the witness and failed to supply digital discovery. The charges were immediately refiled.
His probable cause conference then was set for Sept. 21 to give time for the defense attorney to get the digital discovery from the prosecutor. He was being held in the Wayne County Jail on a warrant from out of state and his attorney said time is of the essence.
On Sept. 21, a live preliminary exam was set for Oct. 12. On Oct. 12 the exam was held and Judge Green bound him over to circuit court for an Oct. 19 arraignment on the information. A calendar conference was set for Dec. 9 and adjourned to Dec. 15. A pretrial was set for Dec. 20 and was adjourned until Jan. 12. On Jan. 12, he pled guilty to carrying a concealed weapon and the other charges were dropped. Sentencing was set for Jan. 30.
He was sentenced to $998 in fees and two years of probation. A review of his extradition warrant was set for Feb. 2 and he was extradited.
Brandon Charles Frierson
Brandon Charles Frierson, 40, of Indianapolis, IN, had his probable cause conference on Sept. 21, 2022 on charges of receiving and concealing a stolen motor vehicle and operating with forged/altered/false ID on Sept. 5, 2022 in Van Buren Township. His bond was set for $20,000/10% and he was present for his conference by zoom from the Wayne County Jail.
His probable cause conference was adjourned to Oct. 5 because his attorney Roeiah Epps-Ward said she needed discovery. His bond included not returning to The Waverly apartment complex if released.
On Oct. 5, he was present via video from the Wayne County Jail. His live exam was set for Nov. 16. His defense attorney asked for a reduction in bond. She said he lives in Columbus, Ohio and was visiting his uncle in Sumpter. He has a bachelor’s degree from Purdue and is an aeronautical engineer. She said he needs to work to get money to support his three children since school has started.
After hearing the information from Ohio on felonies in 2020 and 2021, Judge Martin, over the prosecutor’s objection, reduced his bond to from $20,000/10% to $20,000 personal. “He’ll be a man of his word or not,” Judge Martin said of the chance he would not return from Ohio for his exam.
The exam was reset for Dec. 28. On that date they were unable to locate the file and it was to be sent to the warrant desk when located. The case was set to be reviewed on Jan. 31. On Jan. 20 a warrant for his arrest was signed for failure to appear.
Marcus Eugene Harris
Marcus Eugene Harris, 53, of Ypsilanti was video-arraigned while in custody on Nov. 7 for retail fraud on Oct. 28 and retail fraud, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of narcotic paraphernalia on Nov. 5 in Van Buren Township.
Judge Martin set personal bond at $10,000 and the remote pretrial for Nov. 16. The defendant is not to return to Walmart.