Court Watching: Joel Leys bound over on charges of using credit card of dying woman

On May 2 before 34th District Court Judge Brian Oakley, Joel William Leys, 32, of Belleville waived his preliminary exam on three charges of illegal sale/use of a financial transaction device (credit card) on May 13, 2017.
He is due at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice on May 16 for his arraignment on the information. Leys is free on $5,000 personal recognizance bond.
Leys, an employee of a tow company and tow yard, is charged with use of a bank card belonging to a woman ejected in a crash in Romulus last year.
The crash happened May 13, 2017, at northbound I-275 and W. Huron River Drive in Romulus. The driver, a young woman from Erie, PA, was ejected and remained in a coma until dying five days later.
The victim’s family members told Michigan State Police troopers about the draining of the deceased’s checking account and sent a list of the unauthorized transactions.
The purchases were tracked and authorities said one was from a pizza shop near the tow yard that was called to remove the victim’s vehicle from the crash scene. The pizza shop gave authorities an address and a phone number. Both allegedly matched an employee of the tow company.
The same employee allegedly used the bank card to pay for car insurance and tickets to Michigan International Speedway.
Authorities say Leys removed the victim’s bank card from her purse, which was inside the vehicle the date of the crash. The tow company where Leys worked is used by the Michigan State Police.
A warrant request was submitted to the Wayne County Prosecutor on Aug. 20, 2017. The felony warrant was authorized nearly eight months later.
At the May 2 court session, Leys also was due for a review of his charge of falsely calling an ambulance in the city of Belleville on Oct. 22. He had spent two days on the work program and is on a payment plan for costs.