Jordon Chike Odumodu, 22, of Ypsilanti, was bound over to circuit court for a May 25 arraignment on the information on five charges after a live preliminary exam on May 18 before 34th District Court Judge Tina Brooks Green.
Odumodu was arrested after allegedly putting a brief video clip on social media of a traffic stop in Van Buren Township, which he took from the back seat of a vehicle showing him holding a gun pointed at the police officer issuing the speeding ticket to the driver.
Odumodu was charged with nine counts, but then four were dismissed because the testimony did not support them, according to the Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor on the case Bryn Bailey.
The remaining charges are possession of a weapon by a felon, possession of ammunition by a felon, carrying a concealed weapon, and two counts of felony firearm on March 26 in Van Buren Township.
The charges that were dropped were assault with a dangerous weapon (felonious assault), assaulting / resisting / obstructing a police officer, and two counts of felony firearm.
His bond is $100,000 cash or surety and he is not to be released without a GPS tether. His attorney asked for a referral to pretrial services for a reduction in bond.
At the beginning of the preliminary exam, Prosecutor Bailey stated that in Washtenaw County on Dec. 2, 2020, the defendant was sentenced for the crime of carrying a concealed weapon to 69 days in jail and assessed a fee of $2,000, making him ineligible to possess a firearm.
The first witness at the exam was Van Buren Township Police Officer Christopher Hayes, who had been with the department for 25 years. He testified that he was on patrol March 26 on Haggerty Road near Riccardo Drive running stationary radar and he stopped a vehicle that had been going 70 mph in a 45-mph zone. He issued a citation. He said there were four people in the vehicle, which he saw when someone rolled down a window on the passenger side when he approached.
He identified Odumodu as being in the back seat behind the driver, but he had no interaction with him. He said 30 minutes after the stop, dispatch called him and told him to contact a Washtenaw County officer, who sent a video of him on the traffic stop.
“I recognized myself on the video,” he said, noting while the face wasn’t shown, the way he had other things on his uniform convinced him. The very-brief video was shown in the courtroom.
Officer Hayes testified they put out a BOL on the vehicle, with a broadcast for officer safety and Washtenaw County stopped the vehicle. He said he and Officer Jordan Short drove to the scene and he took the subject in the back seat into custody and transported him to the Van Buren Township police department. He said there was no search of the vehicle.
Under cross-examination by defense attorney Tyrone Bickerdt, Officer Hayes testified that at the speeding stop, he issued a citation but didn’t ask anybody to step out and there was no interaction with the defendant, no threats. He testified when he saw the video 30 minutes after the stop, he recalled the stop. He stated twice that he never saw a weapon.
The second witness was Officer Short, who has been with the Van Buren Township police for eight years. He testified he accompanied Hayes to Washtenaw County where they collected evidence from a deputy which included Odumodu’s cell phone. He had no contact with the defendant, he said. The four men had all been arrested and taken to the station.
Washtenaw County Deputy Brian Ward, the final witness, said they detained all four at the Knottingham Dr./Devon St. stop and saw the video of the passenger pointing a firearm at officers. He said a black pistol was recovered from the rear seat of the driver’s side. It was loaded and someone ran the weapon through LEIN (law enforcement information network).
Judge Green said she found it was an issue of fact and found probable cause to bind him over to circuit court. She said pretrial services was satisfied with his bond, but his attorney can make an argument for reduced bond at circuit court.
Wyman Jerome Taylor
Wyman Jerome Taylor, 66, of Van Buren Township, was video arraigned from Van Buren Township Police Department on June 3 by Judge Martin. He is charged with domestic violence on June 1 in Van Buren Township. His personal bond was set at $5,000 and he is to have no contact with the victim or an address on Briarcliff. His remote pretrial was set for June 14.
Robert Tyrone Riley-Harrison
Robert Tyrone Riley-Harrison, 29, of Garden City was arraigned May 31 by Judge Green on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, malicious destruction of personal property more than $200 and domestic violence on May 31 in Van Buren Township. His personal bond was set at $5,000 and he cannot return to an address on Haggerty Road or contact the victim. His probable cause conference was set for June 8.