Court Watching: Meijer employee pleads guilty to embezzlement, restitution is $770

On June 17 before 34th District Court Judge Brian A. Oakley, Alante Darnett Glass, 23, took a plea deal, saying he was guilty of misdemeanor embezzlement on May 13 when he was an employee at Meijer in Van Buren Township.
He had been charged with felony embezzlement, as an agent or trustee taking $1,000 or more but less than $20,000. Then the plea deal was worked out with the prosecutor.
Glass told Judge Oakley that he was heading out to lunch and took items without purchasing them. Judge Oakley asked if he had any trouble with the law before and he said he did as a juvenile “when a principal put his hands on me at BHS” (Belleville High School).
Glass had been out on $3,000 or 10% bond.
Judge Oakley said Glass had to pay $770 restitution to Meijer, spend 10 days on the court work program, and be on probation for 24 months. Fines were $1,695 minus his returned bond which reduced the cost to $1,395.
VBT Det./Sgt. Mark Buxton was the officer in charge of the case.
Kevin Trinell Newell
Kevin Trinell Newell, 46, who was charged with felony uttering and publishing, accepted a plea deal and pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of larceny up to $1,000.
He told Judge Oakley that he tried to cash a money order in a drive-through in Van Buren Township on Dec. 28, 2013 although he knew it had no value. He was given his ID back and the person at the window called police.
Judge Oakley said since he got no money there is no restitution, but there is $895 in fees and fines, 20 days on the court work program, and 24 months of non-reporting probation.
The recommendation for his warrant was April 16, 2014 and he was referred to Drug Court the same day. Newell was out on $10,000 personal recognizance bond after being arraigned.
VBT Det./Sgt. Buxton was the officer in charge of the case.
Judge Oakley explained that the work program sentence was instead of jail, but if a worker failed to appear for his or her assigned time, there could be a fine or the work option could be dropped and the person could be sent to jail instead.
William Dee Montgomery
William Dee Montgomery, 55, was charged with possession of narcotics less than 25 grams, in VBT on June 1.
He asked Judge Oakley to waive his preliminary exam at the district court and to be bound over to circuit court at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit for a June 24 arraignment on the information.
Montgomery had a bond of $10,000 or 10% on this charge, but was lodged in the Wayne County Jail on another charge.
Judge Oakley said Montgomery’s yellow jail outfit indicated he had a probation violation. Montgomery had been sentenced to probation for a first-degree retail fraud guilty plea on Nov. 6.
At his June 24 arraignment, he got a plea deal and pled guilty. His guilty plea was accepted by Judge David A. Groner, who will sentence him on July 21 for both the narcotics offense and his probation violation.