Court Watching: Judge Parrott delays preliminary exam for accused shooter

By Diane Madigan
Independent Court Reporter
Billy Ray Patrick II, 22, who is being held in Wayne County Jail on $500,000 bond for shooting a Belleville teenager in the face, was brought before 34th District Court Judge David Parrott for a scheduled preliminary exam on May 28. Patrick originally had asked for a court-appointed attorney, but on May 28 he stood with his newly hired attorney Michael Vincent.
Patrick is accused of the May 12 shooting of Thomas Strunk, 16, on West Columbia Avenue in the city of Belleville. Patrick’s official charges are: assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, felonious assault and felony firearms.
Belleville Police Chief Hal Berriman told the Independent that Patrick’s mother accompanied him to the police department when he turned himself in the same night as the shooting. She also brought a pistol and turned it over to police.
Attorney Vincent, who had just taken the case, said he had just received evidence from the public defender’s office and needed more time to review it. And, he needed a signed discovery order from the judge to get more documents from the Belleville Police Department.
Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Lukiewski said the prosecutor’s file had pretty much been provided.
Judge Parrott agreed to sign the discovery order and to adjourn Patrick’s preliminary exam until June 11 in Judge Green’s courtroom.
Patrick’s $500,000/10% bond continues and he was taken back to Wayne County Jail.
Van Buren Township cases
Also on May 28, Judge Parrott accepted a plea bargain for Richard Jay Lesson, 52, manager of the Lunch Box in Belleville.
Lesson was arrested for domestic violence and interfering with a crime report. He pled guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly person and interfering with a crime report.
Lesson said on March 6 he was having a very loud argument and unplugged a phone to prevent the person from calling the police.
Lesson’s court-appointed attorney Jeffrey Bowdich said he didn’t believe his client ever laid hands on anyone.
Judge Parrott said Lesson has a history with the court. He sentenced Lesson to 12 months of probation with 90 days suspended until completion of probation. He also got eight days on the work program, 26 weeks of batterer counseling, continued no-contact with the victim, and $1,505 total in court costs and fines.
Van Buren Township Police Detective Mark Buxton was the officer in charge of the case.
Lesson was found not guilty by a jury in 2007 for criminal sexual conduct.
Lisa Marie Burleson, 42, waived her right to a preliminary exam on May 28 and will be going downtown to the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice on June 11 for an arraignment on the information. Burleson was charged with possession of analogs and operating while intoxicated, 2nd offense, in Van Buren Township on Feb. 8, 2013.
Det. Sgt. Jeff Guelli is the VBT officer leading the case.
Jeremy David McLaughlin, 26, also waived his right for a preliminary exam and will appear at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice downtown June 4 on charges of home invasion and receiving and concealing stolen property.
Known as a habitual offender, McLaughlin also pled guilty to the same charges in 2011. McLaughlin is being held in Wayne County Jail. His legal aid attorney is Tim Wrather.
Det. Sgt. Guelli is the officer in charge of the case.
Brandon John Petri, 24, was scheduled for a pretrial exam on a domestic violence charge, but failed to appear in court. A habeas corpus bench warrant was ordered.
On May 7, Petri told Judge Parrott he would look into retaining an attorney before scheduling the jury trial he wanted.
Willie Moore, 64, was charged with two counts of assault and battery on May 11. He stood before Judge Parrott with his court-appointed attorney Bowdich. Bowdich asked to adjourn the pretrial exam until June 18, giving him more time to review the case.
Judge Parrott agreed to postpone the exam and continued Moore’s bond and the provision to have no contact with the victim. Det. Buxton in the officer in charge of the case.
David Gerald Kass, 33, was on the docket in Judge Parrott’s courtroom for a pretrial exam, but did not show up.
He was serving two years of probation for pleading guilty to a March 2013 felonious assault when he was arrested again recently for assault and battery and domestic violence.
On March 18, he pled guilty to probation violation before Judge David A. Groner and now he’s on probation for that case until March 18, 2018. The amount of fees he owes the court is $1,723.
Marcus Alancort Hudson, who was arrested on May 9 for receiving and concealing stolen property, pled guilty to attempting to pay $100 for an iPad he knew was stolen. Under the Holmes Youthful Training Act, Judge Parrott will take the case under advisement for six months after which time Hudson’s record might be cleared.
Judge Parrot said there will be no further adjournments for Samuel Maurice Banks. Banks 32, a veteran, stood with his court-appointed attorney Bowdich for March 3 charges of assault by strangulation and domestic violence.
Bowdich said this matter could be referred to 36th or 17th district court, where they have veterans’ courts. Banks is receiving counseling at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Detroit and the two-month delay was not attributed to Banks. Judge Parrott agreed to adjourn until June 18.
Belleville case
In a plea deal, Marlow Mizzi 18, pled guilty to a zero-tolerance violation and an open-intoxicants charge was dismissed. Judge Parrott referred Mizzi to the probation department for alcohol screening. A sentencing date will be determined.