Court Watching: Phelps bound over for discharging firearms in house, holding police at bay

Carl Londa Phelps, III, 55, of Van Buren Township waived his preliminary exam on Nov. 16 and 34th District Court Judge Lisa Martin bound him over to circuit court for a Nov. 30 arraignment on the information.
He is charged with assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer and reckless use of firearms at his home in the 800 block of Sumpter Road in Van Buren Township in two different cases on Oct. 20 and 24.
He was before 34th District Court Judge Tina Brooks Green on Nov. 2 via zoom from the Wayne County Jail for his probable cause conferences. But his defense attorney Brian Schaf said he needed discovery and Judge Green adjourned the cases until Nov. 16.
Cash or surety bond on each of the cases is $20,000 and attorney Schaf asked for Judge Green to reduce bond. He said his client has only two prior charges on his record, operating while intoxicated in 1985 and 2005. He has worked for 17 years and is waiting on a disability claim, Schaf said.
Judge Green said she was not changing the bond now but would turn the question over to pretrial services for a recommendation. Surety bond was posted by Phelps for both cases on Nov. 11 through a bail bondsman.
On Oct. 20, Phelps reportedly fired six rounds in his home, telling police that drug dealers came and stole all of his weed.
At 12:34 a.m. Oct. 24, police were called again by neighbors. He had a shot gun this time and police brought the SWAT team. After arriving on the scene, officers continued to hear gunfire from inside the home, so they took cover and established a perimeter. When officers contacted the suspect, they said he was agitated and not willing to speak with them.
After an approximate four-hour standoff, Phelps exited his home and was taken into custody without further incident.
Phelps reportedly said he had chest pains and Van Buren Township Police Lt. Charles Bazzy said they knew he was a heart patient, so he was taken to the hospital.
Lt. Bazzy said the warrant for the second incident came back first from the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office, and Phelps was turned over to the Wayne County Sheriff at the hospital once he was arraigned.
For the Oct. 24 incident, he was charged with discharging a firearm in or at a building, assaulting/resisting/obstructing police, and two counts of felony firearms. He was arraigned by 34th District Court Magistrate Al Hindman on those charges by video from the hospital the morning of Oct. 25. Magistrate Hindman ordered $20,000 cash bond.
Then, the warrant for the Oct. 20 incident came back and he was arraigned again a few hours later the same day by Judge Green on additional charges: assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer and reckless use of firearms. Judge Green set a $20,000 cash or surety bond on those charges.
Javontae Derrick Jackson-Norman
Javontae Derrick Jackson-Norman, 28, of Ecorse was arraigned from the Wayne County Jail by Judge Martin on April 1 on three bench-warrant charges – two from Van Buren Township and one from Romulus. He had failed to appear for those court cases.
He was charged with disorderly person on Feb. 9, 2021 in Van Buren Township, assault & battery on a Van Buren Township police officer on Feb. 9, 2021 in Van Buren Township, and larceny under $200 on May 6, 2018 in Romulus. A warrant was put out for his arrest.
After his arraignment, a pretrial by zoom was set for April 21 and then adjourned to May 19. He failed to appear and a warrant was entered into LEIN for his arrest.
Robert Edwards Burgess
Robert Edwards Burgess, 39, who is homeless, was arraigned by Magistrate Alan Hindman on March 31 on charges of home invasion and malicious destruction of a building, $200-$1,000, on Nov. 24 in Van Buren Township. A probable cause conference was set for April 6 and personal bond is $5,000. On April 6, the probable cause conference was set for April 13. At that time his in-person preliminary exam was set for May 24.
The victim failed to appear and the charges were dismissed.
Jason John McCulley
Jason John McCulley, 52, of Van Buren Township was in custody when arraigned April 4 by Judge Martin on a charge of domestic violence-third offense notice on April 2 in Van Buren Township. His personal bond was set at $5,000. He is to have no contact of any kind with the victim and cannot return to his home on Denton Road. His probable cause conference was set for April 13 and then for May 11. The preliminary exam was set for June 14. Then his attorney asked for a competency/criminal responsibility forensic evaluation and the judge granted that. The case was reviewed on Sept. 14 and then set for an Oct. 19 review since the paperwork was not back yet. But on Sept. 22, the probable cause conference was set for Oct. 12. The preliminary exam was then scheduled for Nov. 22.