David Allen Delaney, 61, of Newport, was due for his arraignment/probable cause conference on March 23 at 34th District Court on charges of larceny in a building and larceny between $1,000-$20,000 or subsequent offense notice on Jan. 12 in Van Buren Township. His defense attorney said he was still in inpatient treatment, so his court date was adjourned until April 20. On that date, he still was in treatment. Judge Lisa Martin reduced his bond from $10,000/10% to $10,000 personal bond and set his probable cause conference for May 25. Then his preliminary exam was set for July 6.
At the live preliminary exam July 6 before Judge Green, the frail, complaining witness testified that Delaney was homeless and she took him in because she needed care. She is confined to a wheelchair and needs help moving from her chair to her recliner, she said. She said he lived in her home on Country Lane for three months and he helped her get dressed, cleaned the house, tended to her feeding tube, and worked about an hour a day.
She testified she was asleep in her recliner on Jan. 12 when she awoke at about 4 a.m. to see him next to her chair with her envelope in his hand and she thought he was just moving it around on the table to get it out of the way. She said she went back to sleep because she trusted him.
When she woke up in the morning, she said he was gone and nothing was left in his room. She said her envelope with $2,800 cash was gone. She said she waited to call the police because she thought he would come back home. She testified that he took good care of her.
Defense attorney Sofia Nelson cross-examined the witness and the witness testified that she bought him a Carhart jacket, paid for doctor’s care for him, and gave him $100 now and then. She testified she did not know what the minimum wage was and she provided no health insurance and paid no taxes on his employment-. There was no contract for his services, she testified. She stated she did not call him to accuse him of stealing money out of the mailbox, as the defense attorney alleged.
Judge Green bound Delaney over to circuit court on both charges. He was arraigned on the information July 20 at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice and a calendar conference was set for Aug. 10.
Justin Cleeve Johnson
The preliminary exam for Justin Cleeve Johnson, 20, of Ypsilanti was set for 11 a.m., Aug. 10, to face 11 charges surrounding the break-in of the Meijer store in Van Buren Township. He is free after posting bond of $5,000/10% and must not return to any Meijer store.
Johnson is charged with breaking into Meijer through the Garden Center on June 11 and gained entry to the main store through a door that had been left unlocked. He went back three times, according to police, and was caught on the third trip.
He is charged with two counts of safe breaking, two counts of possessing burglar’s tools, two counts of breaking and entering a building with intent, a count of receiving and concealing stolen property worth between $1,000 and $20,000, two counts of larceny in a building, one count of escape while awaiting trial for a felony, and one count of false report of a medical or other emergency.
Ryan Anthony-Scott Hayes
Ryan Anthony-Scott Hayes, 37, of Sumpter Township, was found guilty as charged by a 34th District Court jury on July 14 before Judge Green. He was fined $345 and had to pay within seven days.
Hayes had been charged with trespassing at 12:08 p.m. on Jan. 19 in the City of Belleville.
Ariyah Kela Bennett
A preliminary exam for Ariyah Kela Bennett, 26, of Ypsilanti was held on July 20 before Judge Martin. After the testimony from one witness, Judge Martin bound her over to circuit court for an Aug. 8 arraignment on the information.
She is facing six charges following an April 26 incident at the gas station at the corner of Belleville Road and the South I-94 Service Drive in Van Buren Township.
She is free on $10,000 personal recognizance bond and was warned to have no contact with those involved in the incident.
Bennett is charged with malicious destruction of personal property from $1,000 to $20,000, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of malicious destruction of personal property from $200 to $1,000, reckless driving, and assault or assault and battery.
The surveillance video of the incident was shown on television, Instagram, and YouTube. The witness said she approached Bennett’s vehicle that evening to discuss a problem Bennett had with the witness’ son. She testified Bennett had been calling her continually about this. A fight broke out after Bennett spat in the witness’ face, with Bennett driving recklessly, attacking the witness’ vehicle with a baseball bat, and causing the vehicle of the witness to be totaled by her insurance company. She said the estimate to fix it was more than the $16,000 vehicle was worth.
William Malik Johnson
A charge of malicious use of a telecommunications device against William Malik Johnson of Farmington Hills on Aug. 24 in the City of Belleville was dismissed without prejudice by Judge Oakley on Jan. 5 after Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Jane Gillis said the prosecution was unable to proceed.
Kelly Franklin Goble
After a trial before Judge Green on Jan. 19, the charges of child abuse-4 and domestic violence against Kelly Franklin Goble, 55, of Tecumseh, were dismissed and he was found guilty of a new charge of assault and battery. Judge Green assessed fines and costs of $500, with no probation.
Prosecutor Gillis asked that the domestic violence charge be dismissed because Goble didn’t live at the home on Brandi Drive in Van Buren Township where the incident allegedly occurred.
The first witness was a 15-year-old boy who testified that Goble grabbed him by the throat twice in his mother’s bedroom on Nov. 29, 2020. The boy said he was staying at the home, that belonged to Goble’s ex-girlfriend, so he could do his virtual classwork. He said he wasn’t hurt and could breathe some.
The second witness was the boy’s mother who said the boy called her mother and the boy and grandmother went to the police department to make the report.
Witness three was Goble’s girlfriend. She said he had lived with her in Tecumseh since November 2019 and he was at home the day of the incident and didn’t go to Van Buren Township. They were decorating for Christmas, she recalled.
Joel Marc Colding
Joel Marc Colding of Detroit was charged with possession of firearm by felon and felony firearm in Van Buren Township on Jan. 1. On Jan. 19, Judge Green set his probable cause conference for Feb. 9 because Colding was in custody at the Egeler Guidance Center in Jackson and the court needed to email a request to Michigan Department of Corrections to make him available virtually for the conference.
On Feb. 9 he was present virtually for his probable cause conference and his preliminary exam was set for March 23. After his March 23 exam, he was bound over to the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice for an April 6 arraignment on the information. That was adjourned until April 20 at a request of the court and then until April 25. A pre-trial was set for May 18 and then set for May 24. At that time charges were dismissed by Judge Mariam Bazzi.
Dominick Robert Anderson
Dominick Robert Anderson, 25, of Belleville was arraigned on Jan. 19 for assault on a police officer on Nov. 30 in Sumpter Township. His probable cause conference was adjourned until Feb. 2 so his attorney could get discovery.
Personal bond of $10,000 was set. Anderson appeared virtually from the Wayne County Jail. On Feb. 2, the case was adjourned until March 2 to give the defense attorney time to get the results of a competency hearing for a pending case in Third Circuit Court. Attorney Ray McCann said Anderson is in quarantine and being assaulted. He wanted Judge Martin to order him put into the general population. A deputy at the Wayne County Jail said he has been tested and when his COVID test comes back negative he will be put into the general population.
On March 2, Judge Green referred Anderson for a forensic examination for competency and criminal responsibility. When that returned a probable cause conference was set for April 27. That was adjourned until May 18. The May 18 date was adjourned until June 22 with approval of all parties to await sentencing in circuit court.
On June 22, the party dropped the charges, the prosecutor filed for dismissal, and Judge Green dismissed the charge, pursuit to a Third Circuit Court plea. Case closed.
Jenell Annaelynn Drake
Jenell Annaelynn Drake, 34, of Taylor was arraigned by Judge Green on Jan. 19, on a charge of assault or assault and battery for an incident in Sumpter Township on April 11, 2018. The final pretrial was set for Feb. 16 to see if the complainant on the charge is still available since it was so long ago.
On Feb. 16, the charge was dismissed without prejudice by Judge Oakley on a motion by the prosecution.
Kenneth Lawson
Kenneth Lawson of Willis was charged with operating with a blood alcohol content of .17 or more and carrying a concealed weapon (pistol) while under the influence on May 8 in Van Buren Township. At his remote pretrial on Jan. 19 before Judge Green, Lawson’s defense attorney William Maze said there has been no offer on a plea deal so he will have to write a letter to the prosecutor’s office. The pretrial was adjourned until March 2.
On March 2, Maze asked for a jury trial and it was set for June 24, but on May 25 a plea deal was approved by Judge Green. Lawson pled guilty to operating while visibly impaired and the other charges were dropped. No jury trial.