Steven Cole Stickler, 39, held his preliminary exam before 34th District Court Judge Brian A. Oakley on Jan. 9 on a charge of domestic violence on his pregnant girlfriend.
The incident was Nov. 27 on Freedoms Way in Presidential Estates, Van Buren Township.
Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Ola Faraj and court-appointed defense attorney Mark Magidson both stipulated that Stickler had been convicted twice before on domestic violence charges. Prosecutor Faraj said if he is convicted of this charge, it would make his third offense.
At the end of the exam, Prosecutor Faraj said she had a felony charge of unlawful imprisonment she would like to add to the domestic violence charge because Stickler dragged the victim back into the home when she was trying to escape.
Magidson objected to the amendment, charging the woman was using the judicial system to avenge an unfaithful boyfriend. He pointed out she didn’t mention any of the dragging in the police statement she wrote after the incident.
Magidson said, “These people need counseling,” not a criminal case.
Judge Oakley said for him to refuse to bind over Stickler on the domestic violence charge he would have to find the witness completely non-credible, and, “I don’t.”
He bound Stickler over to circuit court for a Jan. 23 arraignment on the information. He then said the amendment to add “unlawful imprisonment” was appropriate, so it was added to his charge. The unlawful imprisonment charge could bring a sentence of up to 15 years and up to a $20,000 fine if he is found guilty.
The only witness brought to the stand was Tiffany Hurd who said Stickler had been living in her manufactured home with her since August 2016 and they were in a dating relationship.
Hurd testified that she is pregnant now and was pregnant at the time of the incident. She said the day before the incident, she felt sick and went to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. She said she got sick from a resident where she works with senior citizens.
She testified that the next day he tried to start a fight with her and brought up things. She said she told him she was sick and pregnant, but he was aggressive with her and was man-handling her and put his hand over her mouth.
She said she went to the kitchen to eat and he grabbed her by her pony tail and threw her on the bed. She testified he got on top of her and threatened to punch her teeth down her throat.
Hurd said he finally stopped and she was going to run out the back door to the carport and he grabbed her pony tail and threw her down on the belt. He saw a belt on the floor and threatened her with it.
She said she pushed out the screen in the window next to her bed and crawled out the window. She said he tried to grab her.
Hurd testified she was going to go to the neighbors two doors down to use their phone, but they weren’t home. She said she was barefooted.
She said she saw Stickler in his Ranger and he tried to get her in the Ranger and was dangling the keys to her car before her. She said she went home and, although he had taken her phone from her earlier, he left the phone on the kitchen counter and she phoned Van Buren Township police.
Hurd testified she was scared.
Under cross examination, Hurd testified they were in an exclusive dating relationship and it was a planned pregnancy. She said she did suspect him of having another girlfriend and she was hurt. She said she is a parent and Stickler had no children.
She said she wrote out a statement for police and left out the parts about pulling her around by her ponytail and being threatened by the belt because she was stressed and confused.
Magidson said Stickler moved to a different location, 20 or 30 miles away, and Hurd went there and left something so he knew she was there. She said that was not true and she made no effort to contact him.
She said before he knew there was a warrant out for him, he called her to say he was at her residence and she called Van Buren police who picked him up there on the warrant.
Magidson then announced his client has just told him he has screen shots on messages from her, but they were out in his car. Judge Oakley paused the proceedings until Stickler could go get the screen shots.
The attorney read messages reportedly from Hurd and she said she didn’t send them. He asked her phone number and when she gave it, it wasn’t the same as the one on the messages.
Magidson said Hurd’s picture was on the messages and Hurd said she posts pictures on social media and someone could get pictures there.
“Could I remind you that this is a probable cause conference, not a trial,” Judge Oakley said.
That’s when Prosecutor Faraj amended the charges to include a second charge and asked Judge Oakley to bind Stickler over for trial.
Chelsea Rae Dennis
Chelsea Rae Dennis, 27, was due for her preliminary exam on two charges of possession of narcotics on April 15 in the City of Belleville. Her retained attorney Wade Fink had asked for a representative of the laboratory that did the tests to be present at the exam. Three weeks ago he had said having the person there by video would be all right, so the case was adjourned so the prosecutor could make arrangements with the lab.
Judge Oakley was told the prosecutor is waiting for a call back from the lab and Oakley said that’s probably because they didn’t call until that morning. Judge Oakley announced he was calling the case at 10 a.m.
At two minutes before 10, Fink called into the courtroom asking for two more minutes.
When he returned, he had a plea deal for his client. Dennis pled guilty to a new count of use of cocaine, a misdemeanor, and the felony charges were dropped.
Fink said this would resolve all the charges that are filed on this incident. She said on April 15 she was stopped in Belleville and she was in possession of a controlled substance.
When Judge Oakley questioned her to prepare for the proper sentence, she said she works at the Flight Club bar and as soon as her youngest child is in school – her children are four and six — she wants to go to cosmetology school. The man that wasn’t good for her is no longer in her life.
Her attorney said she asked the Belleville police to let her walk in for the charge and she didn’t know there was a warrant out. She held onto the steering wheel because she was scared. That’s when they reportedly forced her from the car. She said she has been clean of drugs since April.
Judge Oakley suggested she talk to someone who has worked doing hair and nails for years to find out how hard it is to stand for long periods of time. He said she has to get out of the bar job.
She said she was offered an office job at a car dealership and Judge Oakley suggested she take it as soon as possible.
He sentenced her to 12 months of non-reporting probation, to get a non-bar job within two weeks, 30 hours of community service by April 1, and a fine of $445.
Denise Lynne Lewis
Denise Lynne Lewis, 35, was due for her preliminary exam on a charge of embezzlement by an agent or trustee of between $1,000 and $20,000 on Aug. 30 in Van Buren Township.
Her retained attorney Michael Vincent announced a plea deal that had his client pleading no contest to a misdemeanor of embezzlement between $200 and $1,000.
She presented a certified check for $5,000 in full restitution to Kristin Therrian, asset protection assistant store manager of the Belleville Walmart.
Vincent said his client was pleading no contest because of any civil liability.
Vincent said this is her first offense and she is a nice lady and very remorseful. He said she is a candidate for probation and no drugs or alcohol were involved.
Judge Oakley asked if she had difficulties last summer and Vincent said he didn’t know. Lewis was reluctant to explain. She whispered to attorney Vincent and Vincent went up to the judge’s bench for a private sidebar discussion with the prosecutor.
Judge Oakley said he has the factual background and Lewis is working, has children, and never has been in trouble before. She now has a better support system than she had last summer.
“This has made an imprint on her soul, a big imprint,” Vincent said, as Lewis wept. Vincent said her husband is in the courtroom in support.
“She felt more weight on her shoulders and tried to carry it herself?” Judge Oakley asked and Lewis’ husband and the man next to him nodded.
“Shame on you,” Judge Oakley said to them.
When Judge Oakley asked, she said her children were ages five and three.
Judge Oakley sentenced her to 12 months of non-reporting probation, 20 hours of community service, and a fine of $365, which she said she would pay immediately.