Ex-Warren police officer Matthew Rodriguez was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court to serve one year and one day in prison for using excessive force against an inmate while fingerprinting and photographing him at the police department.

District Judge Jonathan J.C. Grey allowed Rodriguez to remain free as he awaits to be assigned to a federal prison. The former cop also faced a $250,000 fine but the judge instead issued a standard $100 special assessment fee.

Wearing a short-sleeved plaid button-down shirt and khaki pants, Rodriguez ignored reporters’ requests for comment as he left the federal courthouse in Detroit. He also remained silent during the sentencing hearing.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Dawn N. Ison said after the sentencing police officers have a duty to protect the civil rights of everyone, including individuals in their custody.

“Physical abuse of detainees is completely unacceptable and undermines public confidence in the integrity of law enforcement,” she said in a statement. “My office is committed to accountability for all public servants who abuse the public trust, and today’s sentence is a powerful reflection of that commitment.”

Rodriguez, 49, pleaded guilty in March to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law after an inhouse surveillance system showed he punched Jaquwan Smith in the face and slammed his head to the ground in June 2013 while fingerprinting and photographing him at the police station.

Court officials said the video has been seen by more than more than 2.8 million viewers online.

According to court records, on June 13, 2023, then-officer Rodriguez was fingerprinting and photographing the 19-year-old suspect, who had recently been brought to the Warren Police Department’s jail for processing after he was arrested for carjacking.

During fingerprinting, Rodriguez and Smith got into a verbal argument and began trading insults. In retaliation for one of Smith’s remarks, Rodriguez struck Smith multiple times and slammed his head against the fingerprint room floor.

In connection with his plea, Rodriguez admitted to writing a report in which he made false statements about the incident and omitted material information in an attempt to cover up his crime.

Since being fired from the Warren Police Department, Rodriguez has been working as a truck driver.

Defense attorneys for Rodriguez acknowledge he “lost his temper” in the incident.

Steve Fishman, representing Rodriguez, asked the judge to spare his client from imprisonment. He argued Smith did not suffer serious injuries and noted Rodriguez, who spent more than 30 years working in law enforcement, including as a Detroit police officer, has already been punished significantly in losing his job and being convicted of a federal crime.

This wasn’t the first time the former officer had violent encounters with detainees.

According to the memorandum filed in U.S. District Court, he was disciplined in 2012 for what prosecutors called “a shockingly similar incident” that involved assaulting with a “roundhouse kick” a detainee he was fingerprinting and lying about it in a report later filed.

In another instance, Rodriguez used excessive force in 2017 when he served as a school resource officer at a high school in Warren. He grabbed and lifted a student by his neck and pulled him to the ground, causing the teen to hit his head on a locker. He was removed from the school following the incident.

Kristen Clarke, an assistant attorney for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said Rodriguez violated his oath to protect and serve his community. Instead, she said, he abused his power by violently assaulting an arrestee.

“This sentence should serve as a reminder to all law enforcement that a badge is not a license to answer verbal insults with physical violence and excessive force,” Clarke said.

The FBI Detroit Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Warren Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit.

Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the FBI Detroit Field Office said the sentencing should serve as a “stark reminder” that the use of excessive force and deliberate false statements are not only criminal acts but also tarnishes the hard work and dedication of law enforcement officers who serve with integrity every day.

Smith filed a $50 million federal lawsuit against the city, Rodriguez, two other individuals and a “John Doe” about two weeks after the incident. The case is pending in front of U.S. District Judge Jonathan Grey, with a trial scheduled for January.

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A nearly-20 year veteran of the Keego Harbor Police Department was recently named its Chief of Police.

Robert Barnes, who most recently served as the department’s primary detective, was appointed to chief of police by a unanimous vote of the Keego Harbor city council. Barnes was officially sworn in on Aug. 15.

The position became available with the retirement of John Fitzgerald.

“We are confident that the City of Keego Harbor Police Department will continue to provide the same level of outstanding public safety and service that our residents deserve under Chief Barnes’ leadership,” said Mayor Rob Kalman.

Barnes began his law enforcement career with the City of Keego Harbor in 2005; promotions followed in 2012 and 2016 — when he completed detective school. As stated in a news release from the city, Barnes “has achieved a highly successful rate of warrant authorizations and criminal convictions through numerous investigations including armed robbery, sexual assaults, attempted homicides, child abuse, breaking and entering fraud and embezzlements.”

He’s also the department’s firearm and taser instructor, agency administrator and property/evidence manager.

However, the department’s police services may be in jeopardy if voters don’t approve a police millage renewal extension on the Nov. 5 ballot. The four-mill extension is expected to bring in approximately $450,000 tax dollars to fund the city’s allotted police budget of $1,072,581 for the next fiscal year. The remainder would come from the city’s general fund.

The millage extension is needed for a full-time dedicated Keego Harbor Police Department, officials said. Contracted police services could mean higher costs and reduced police coverage and response times, officials said.

The current budget pays for a full-time police chief, three full-time police officers and a full-time detective. It also funds increased training, existing contracted police services, police cruisers, increased resources for other equipment and technology replacement and new water rescue capabilities.

‘Imma shoot up the school tomorrow:’ South Lyon students charged for allegedly making threats

Oakland County business fraudster headed to prison

Preliminary exam set for Waterford man accused of sex crimes against young boys

An Arabic woman maintained that a Black woman used ethnic slurs against her and threw a pillow at her in a Macomb County store, although her allegations were weakened slightly by some differences from her prior statements.

Ela Musaid, 19, took the stand Tuesday at the start of the jury trial for Tenia Fleming, an off-duty Wayne County Sheriff’s deputy who is charged with ethnic intimidation and assault and battery for an incident last December at the Marshalls store at 12 Mile and Gratiot Avenue in Roseville.

Musaid, who was shopping with her two sisters, testified in Macomb County Circuit Court that she felt “terrified” and her life was in danger after Fleming allegedly called her a “f—— filthy Arab,” cussed at her further and threw a pillow at her as Musaid walked away.

Musaid, who is Muslim and was wearing a hijab at the time of the incident, called Fleming’s remarks “violent and racist” and she felt “afraid for my life.”

She said she didn’t think the comments were necessarily directed at her but that she and her sisters were the only people in the store donned in hijabs.

Musaid, who spoke softly through a face mask, at times was difficult to understand.

Musaid said she did not see Fleming when she made the initial remarks as they were in separate aisles. Musaid said she and Fleming began walking in the same direction after the alleged slurs were spoken, and they both ended up in the main aisle. Video of the incident shows Fleming was about 10 feet behind Musaid when she threw the pillow. Musaid said was shouting at her but she does not recall what she said.

She said she did not say anything to prompt the initial remarks, was not on the phone with one of her sisters in the moments prior to the incident and did not recall whether she said anything further to Fleming following the remarks.

Video shows that Fleming’s husband, Kenneth, also a Wayne County Sheriff’s deputy, restrained Tenia from rushing toward Musaid after throwing the pillow.

Ela’s sister, Lamees Musaid, 23, testified she heard the initial slurs and then in a second set of comments heard Fleming say “names.”

“I do not recall the exact names,” she said. “It was a long time ago and I do not remember.”

Lamees Musaid called 911 and told a dispatcher, “A Black lady comes across and calls me names and then a pillow is thrown at us. I’m in danger,” according to a recording played in court while Lamees testified.

Police arrived, and after talking to officers, the sisters asked to be escorted to their vehicle because they were scared, Ela Musaid testified.

Meanwhile, Fleming and her husband left immediatley following the incident. Mr. Fleming was later identified from security video at the store, leading to the charges against Mrs. Fleming.

During cross examination of Ela Musaid by Fleming’s attorney, Lillian Diallo, Musaid said she did not recall some aspects of the incident or her prior statements because, “It was so long ago.”

Diallo pointed out Musaid told police Fleming made the initial remarks “under her breath,” but Tuesday said, “I don’t remember.”

Diallo also noted that twice in police reports officers did not include that Fleming included “filthy” in her remarks, although under redirect questioning from Assistant Prosecutor Patrick Coletta, Musaid noted  it is included in at least one other report.

Musaid said she also did not remember testifying that she said, “This is crazy,” as she walked away around the time the pillow struck her.

Diallo pointed out at the start of her cross examination Musaid was wearing a hijab, face mask and eyeglasses while testifying Tuesday but at the district court hearing wore only the hijab while on the stand.

“It’s clear we cannot see your facial expressions right now, correct?” Diallo said. “At the preliminary examination we were able to see your facial expressions, correct? We didn’t have a jury at the preliminary examination, correct?”

Musaid replied, “correct,” to the trio of questions.

Musaid testified under Coletta’s questioning that she felt “afraid” to be testifying in the same room as Fleming, who was sitting at the attorneys-parties table.

Ethnic intimidation is a low-level felony punishable by up to two year in prison and assault and battery is a misdemeanor.

Fleming was suspended without pay following the incident.

The trial in front of Judge Joseph Toia was expected to conclude this week.

Just one week into the school year police have dealt with what appeared to be a threat directed a Wayne County school and executed a probe that tracked down the source.

The school was placed on a lockdown Friday after an air-dropped message was received by some students at Romulus High School on their cell phones.

According to police, the message stated someone was “trying to come shoot up the school.”

Police said the school resource officer was already on the grounds and additional officers arrived to ensure everyone’s safety while an investigation into the anonymous threat was conducted.

Although the origin of the message was determined, police offered no information on the teen.

The threat was believed to have no credibility and police said students were not in danger.

As the lockdown remained in place, classes continued – preventing a setback in the educational process.

A police presence remained for the rest of the school day.

‘Imma shoot up the school tomorrow:’ South Lyon students charged for allegedly making threats

Officers thanked school officials for their “swift, no-nonsense reaction” to the threat and their partnership with the RPD to ensure the safety of all students.

Romulus police were commended by many on its social media page for addressing the issue publicly.

One person posting on the page commenting said hopefully the person responsible for the message will be “kicked out for the remainder of the school year.”

She said that person should be used as an example for others who think they can get away with such a disruption.

The incident hit home for Teri Dodd.

“My nephew’s school just got shot up in Georgia,” Dodd posted on social media. “Thankfully he wasn’t hurt. My granddaughter goes to Romulus high. She’s scared to even go to school. It’s time to punish parents for even a threat to harm another human being. Parents, be parents. Know what your child is doing.”

Police responded to the post saying, “In the interest of fairness, we do not think this was a deliberate attempt at a three-day weekend.”

Another person responding to the police department’s post said she trusts the Romulus Police Department, school staff and School Supt. Benjamin Edmondson.

Police Chief Robert Pfannes is encouraging any student or parent who receives any information that questions the safety of children in the district to contact school administrators, the district’s resource officer or police so the information can be vetted as soon as possible.

Three South Lyon East High School students are facing charges for allegedly making school threats in social media posts.

As announced Wednesday by Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, two of the students are charged with false report or threats of terrorism, and the other is charged with intentional threats to commit act of violence against school, school employee or students.

The charges stem from three social media posts from Sept. 8, according to the prosecutor’s office. The next day, a student reportedly shared a screenshot of the post which stated “[G]uys imma shoot up the school tomorrow,” the prosecutor’s office said. The teacher then reported the post to the school administration.

An investigation turned up two additional posts in the same group chat stating “I’m going to blow up the school,” according to the prosecutor’s office.

“Parents and kids should feel safe at school,” McDonald stated in a news release. “These threats directly impact students, teachers, and staff, and they also undermine our entire community’s confidence in the safety of our schools. It’s not a joke, and the charges we issued will ensure that these students face appropriate consequences.”

The Oakland Press has reached out to the prosecutor’s office for additional information on the students charged, including their ages, genders, and if they are currently in custody. It’s also not clear if they are charged as juveniles or adults, or if arraignment has occurred.  Check back for updates.

A Waterford Township man accused of sexually assaulting four boys, and having photos and videos of child sex abuse, will have a preliminary exam next month for a judge to decide if the case should proceed.

Logan Joseph Sutherland, 21, is charged with four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of possession of child sexually abusive material-aggravated. The boys he’s accused of abusing are ages 7, 10, 11 and 13, and the videos and photos involved in the case were found on his cell phone, police said.

A preliminary exam is scheduled for Oct. 8, where 51st District Judge Todd Fox will be presented with evidence and then determine if there’s probable cause for the case to advance to Oakland County Circuit Court for possible trial. A probable cause conference is to be held a week earlier than the exam, according to Sutherland’s court file.

Police arrested Sutherland on Aug. 27 at his Waterford home after detectives investigated a criminal sexual conduct complaint there involving a 10-year-old boy, police said. Since the arrest, three other alleged victims came forward, police said, for alleged assaults at Sutherland’s home as well as ZapZone, Sportway and SkyZone in Commerce Township. Sutherland had reportedly befriended parents of young boys to gain their trust and then have time alone with the children, police said.

The cell phone depicts photos of young boys other than the four identified, police said.

If convicted, Sutherland faces up to 15 years in prison. For now, he’s in the Oakland County Jail with bond set at $100,000.

Oakland County business fraudster headed to prison

One of the worst parts of World War II is coming to metro Detroit this month. And it’s scheduled to keep coming into January.

Each week about 25 semi-trucks will haul low-level radioactive waste from New York to a disposal site in Wayne County’s Van Buren township.

It’s by-products from the Manhattan Project, which created the atomic bombs dropped in Japan that ended World War II.

It’s also the latest in a series of toxic material shipments sent to Michigan raising concerns among some members of Congress and other officials.

That includes Wayne County Executive Warren Evans. He says there’s a disconnect between federal agencies that regulate hazardous waste, the company that owns the Van Buren disposal site and Michigan’s government.

“It doesn’t make sense to me that we would be the location of choice so often for this toxic material.”

-Wayne County Executive Warren Evans

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Listen: Warren Evans on toxic atomic waste coming to Wayne County

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This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Warren Evans: I don’t believe that they level with us about what they’re doing. My trust level for them is almost zero. And it doesn’t lead to good results or good communications back and forth. The only time we hear about these waste issues is when a reporter writes a story and we read about it and they become automatically defensive. I’m concerned about the lack of notice (that shipments are coming to Michigan.) That leads me to be concerned about the level of hazardous waste in the material and the amount that’s coming and how it’s being transported.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: The Army Corps of Engineers has said they’re not required to notify anybody if they’re sending waste to a facility that’s allowed to take those kinds of shipments, which the one in Van Buren is. So when you say you don’t think that they’re leveling with you, what do you think needs to be changed?

WE: They said they’re not “required” to. What the heck does that mean? Does it mean there’s a prohibition about doing it? They’re hiding behind a rule that doesn’t require them to do it. But good public policy does require them to do it, them or somebody, I think. Hiding behind a rule that doesn’t make you do it just tells me the rule doesn’t make any sense and you’re not concerned about the reaction of the public’s health concerns about this. If that’s the way you feel, then I’m troubled by the whole thing.

QK: You’ve had a couple of town hall meetings about this and other toxic waste that came from the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment. What are you hearing from residents about the situations?

WE: It’s real clear that residents don’t want it here. And what we hear from the federal agencies is how safe they claim to be and what the rules and federal regulations are. That’s not what people are asking for. They are asking for clear answers about why so much of it is coming here and just how safe is it? It’s troubling to me, because the agencies are answering questions in a very bureaucratic way. “This is regulation 207 and we’re required to do that.” It’s double-speak to me. People are asking about the health concerns that they have, the health concerns that they’re afraid of in the future. They are asking for solid, honest answers. Part of that would be alleviated if there was more discussion about the actual hazardous waste, the toxicity of it, how it’s being transported and how it is being kept in the landfill. That would help people determine whether the safety valves are there or not there. When you hear the agencies talk about it, they say they have a stellar track record for keeping us safe. And every year you hear about catastrophes that occur and violations that occur at these different waste treatment places. Those two notions don’t square in my mind or the minds of anybody else that has any sense.

QK: So you still have some concerns when state environmental officials say that they’ve tested this latest waste coming from the Manhattan Project, that it’s within the limits that the site is permitted to take? And there’s only seven similar sites in the country, so you just gotta grit your teeth and bear with it?

WE: Yeah but that doesn’t really make sense. There’s a significant amount of it that’s coming and there’s certainly no legal prohibition against dividing it into some different landfills. Why does it all have to come here? Particularly since the waste is rated at a level that would allow it to go to many other landfills — and many other landfills that are closer to New York than here. They can talk all day about how this landfill provides added security. But if the waste is rated low enough that it can go just about anywhere, then why don’t you send it just about anywhere?

QK: I have heard that it was somewhat cheaper to dispose of it in landfills here as opposed to other places. Have you heard that same reasoning?

WE: Absolutely. And I think that that, in and of itself, calls for a state solution. It appears to me that there are two solutions that we ought to be working on as a community. One is, we ought to act legislatively, get our legislature to refuse to take it. In other words, change the rules about Michigan being able to take the hazardous waste. That’s why it’s coming out of New York, New York won’t take it. That’s one option. That’s a pretty drastic one, but a significant one. The other one is to raise the tipping fees such that it is not so profitable for those who want to deliver the waste here. I think both of those are solutions that bear some close scrutiny and, I think, support.

There are many states that are less populated than Michigan. Wayne County is the largest by population county in the state of Michigan. It doesn’t make sense to me that we would be the location of choice so often for this toxic material. Nobody wants it. There’s no financial advantage to the county for accepting it. The disadvantages are creating a further health care risk. And we’re already rated poorly in the state of Michigan in terms of health indicators.

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The case against a Flint woman accused of killing her toddler in Pontiac has been advanced to Oakland County Circuit Court for possible trial.

Latonya Thomas, 27, is scheduled to be arraigned by Judge Daniel O’Brien on Sept. 16. Held in the Oakland County Jail with bond set at $1 million, she’s charged with felony murder and first-degree child abuse for the April 25 death of her 3-year-old son, Zaveion Thomas.

The case was bound over from 50th District Court to the higher court on Sept. 6, following a preliminary exam.

According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the child was unresponsive when deputies responded to a 911 call for help at a home in the 100 block of Perry Place — and saw Thomas attempting to perform CPR on him. Paramedics transported the child to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy revealed the child had been injured in an assault and the death was ruled a homicide. An investigation by detectives determined Thomas had assaulted him, causing the injuries that resulted in his death, the sheriff’s office said.

Thomas was arrested in June by the sheriff’s Fugitive Apprehension Team.

Woman accused of killing her toddler in Pontiac; jailed on $1M bond

Arizona man accused of rape at Auburn Hills hotel

An Arizona man accused of raping a woman in her hotel room in Auburn Hills last month has been arraigned on felony charges.

Joel Delavara, 36, of Yuma, is charged with first degree criminal sexual conduct, second degree criminal sexual conduct and first degree home invasion for allegedly gaining access to a woman’s hotel room by having a copy made of her key and then sexually assaulting her before flying back to Arizona.

The assault allegedly happened on Aug. 14.

Delavera was arraigned in 52-3 District Court on Sept. 5 where Magistrate Marie Soma set bond at $100,000 with a 10% provision — which means $10,000 will keep him out of jail for now. The bond was posted the same day. His court file states he’s to be monitored by electronic tether.

The case will be handled by the Special Victims Unit of the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office. The Oakland Press has requested a mugshot but hasn’t heard back yet.

Delavara is scheduled for a probable cause conference on Sept. 19 and a preliminary examination a week later before 52-3 Judge Lisa Asadoorian.

Delavara faces up to life in prison if convicted.

A 50-year-old Macomb County man was convicted Wednesday of brutally murdering his live-in girlfriend following a two-week trial in Macomb County Circuit Court.

Jason Ross was found guilty of first-degree premeditated murder and three other felonies in connection with the beating death of Kathleen Hales, 47, in July 2021 in her home in a mobile-home community near 19 Mile and Utica roads in Sterling Heights.

He faces life without parole at his Oct. 10 sentencing by circuit Judge Matthew Sabaugh.

The jury deliberated only two hours before reaching its verdict late Wednesday afternoon following closing arguments that ended abruptly when Ross, who was representing himself, quit 30 minutes into his closing.

Earlier in her closing, Assistant Macomb Prosecutor Elizabeth Abbo accused Ross of “brutally beating” Hales with a hammer and stabbing her with three knives, inflicting 69 wounds in all.

“The defendant put a hammer to her head while she was defenseless, laying there yelling for help,” Abbo said.

Hales suffered from torture, Abbo added.

“This took time. It wasn’t quick. It didn’t occur all it once. It took time. She suffered,” Abbo said, telling jurors Hales died from blunt-force trauma to her head, as she suffered several skull fractures.

Ross was 30 minutes into his closing argument in Macomb County Circuit Court when he quit after being told for the third or fourth time by Judge Matthew Sabaugh to stop bringing alleged facts or issues into the case that were not touched on during the trial.

“At this point, I don’t know what I can say,” he said at the podium in front of 13 jurors. “I’m done. I just don’t got anything to say. I’m happy. I’m good,” Ross said as he walked back to the defense table.

Sabaugh asked him twice, “Is that your choice?”

“It’s my choice,” Ross replied as he sat down.

Abbo, who made the objections, declined to give a rebuttal, as allowed by law, she said for the first time in her career.

Ross, who testified a day earlier under questioning by his advisory counsel, Adil Haradhala, claimed he acted in self defense after Hales cut him with a knife during an argument.

He admitted to police he killed Hales, telling detectives they “fought like men” but that he overpowered her.

He also blamed his actions on excessive drug use.

Ross and Hales had been together a short time as he had moved in next door to her only months before.

Hales got him a job at a restaurant where she had worked for over 20 years and held several positions, according to testimony.

After the slaying, Ross took Hale’s credit or debit cards and fled in her red 2004 Ford Explorer, prosecutors said. He was captured two days later in Prescott, Mich., located about a 50 minute drive north of Bay City, in possession of items owned by Hale that tie him to the slaying scene and a weapon, prosecutors said.

The jury acquitted Ross, who has been in custody, of first-degree murder although they found him guilty of the underlying charge, larceny. He also was convicted of unlawfully driving away a vehicle and illegal possession of a financial transaction device.

Several of Hales’ family members attended the trial.

A woman who allegedly robbed stores in West Bloomfield and Orchard Lake on Wednesday night — firing at least two gunshots during the crimes — was arrested by West Bloomfield  police.

According to West Bloomfield police, a 911 call came in at around 8:40 p.m. from an employee at Twin Beach Market on Green Lake Road reporting a woman armed with a pistol entered the store and robbed him of cash, then fled. Soon after, 911 calls came in about other armed robberies in West Bloomfield and Orchard Lake believed to be perpetrated by the same suspect, including one at CVS Pharmacy at 6070 W. Maple Road where the woman reportedly fired two gunshots.

West Bloomfield police officers encountered the armed woman a short time later outside the CVS and took her into custody.

Police said the investigation so far indicates the woman acted alone. No injuries were reported, and police said there’s no known danger to the public in connection with the incidents.

As the investigation continues, anyone with further information on the West Bloomfield incidents is asked to contact Detective Phil Pacheco at 248-975-8905. Anyone with information on the Orchard Lake incidents is asked to contact Detective Michael Clement at 248-682-2400. A warrant request to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office is expected at the conclusion of the investigation.

Substitute teacher charged with sex crimes against kids

A convicted killer’s mother was sentenced Wednesday for lying to police while they were investigating the murder six years ago in Pontiac.

At the sentencing hearing, Oakland County Circuit Judge Daniel O’Brien sent Guadalupe Maria Davila-Rodriguez of Pontiac to the Oakland County Jail for 11 days with credit for five days served, for lying to a peace officer in connection with the fatal shooting of Emilio Valdez. The charge was amended from an original charge of accessory after the fact to a felony.

Davila-Rodriguez pleaded no contest to the lesser charge.

Valdez’s body was found in Osmun Lake in Pontiac on June 7, 2018, but charges weren’t filed until 2022. Angel Alvarez, Davila-Rodriquez son, was convicted of second-degree murder for Valdez’s death at the conclusion of a jury trial in June and sentenced to 36.5 – 80 years in prison. Her other son, Juan Diego Hernandez of Center Line, was charged with lying to a peace officer during the Valdez homicide investigation and was sentenced last month to six days in jail with credit for one day served. He, too, pleaded no contest to the charge.

Valdez’s body was found in Osmun Lake in Pontiac on June 7, 2018, but charges weren’t filed until 2022. Angel Alvarez, Davila-Rodriquez’s other son, was convicted of second-degree murder for Valdez’s death at the conclusion of a jury trial in June.

Valdez was a 2016 graduate of Warren Mott High School who had moved from Macomb County to Pontiac. Not long after his death, investigators said the 20-year-old was shot twice and still alive when he was put into the lake.

According to court records, it was alleged that the car Alvarez used in the homicide was the same one Davila-Rodriguez reported stolen.

Case advances against Farmington Hills woman accused of sex crimes against inmates in juvenile facility

Supreme Court denies review of lower court’s decision in golf course rape case

Court of Appeals: Judge failed to explain why jail was justified for Oakland County man’s misdemeanors

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Associated Press

NOVI (AP) — Two teenagers were shot, one fatally, just outside the Michigan State Fair in what police described late Saturday as an isolated incident.

Police in Novi, where the fair is held, said gunshots were reported just before 10 p.m. Saturday. The shooting took place in the fair’s parking lot and was initially described as an active shooter situation, prompting several law enforcement agencies to respond. Authorities later deemed it an isolated crime.

“There is no threat to the community,” Novi police said late Saturday in a statement on the social media platform X.

Michigan State Police troopers from two locations and their canine units were among the agencies to respond to the reported shooting.

“Troopers, deputies and officers from several local departments assisted Novi police with establishing a perimeter and cleared the convention center without locating the suspect,” the state police tweeted.

Both victims, 14-year-old teenage boys, had arrived at the fair with friends. Investigators said they believed the shooting stemmed from an argument in recent days.

The teens were taken to a local hospital where one 14-year-old was pronounced dead. The other was reported in stable condition, police said.

Police have not identified a suspect.

Novi is about 30 miles northwest of Detroit in southern Oakland County. The state fair ends Monday and it opened Sunday with shortened hours and required parental supervision of minors.

Every mother’s worst nightmare became Brandi Morey Pols’ reality last week.

After years of trying desperately to get authorities to believe her when she reported that her son’s father was dangerous, Morey Pols experienced the unthinkable: Rowan Milford Morey’s father, Michael Winchell, killed the boy before turning the gun on himself.

Now, as she readies herself for Rowan’s viewing and funeral, she made a vow to do whatever she can to change the system and stop another mother from experiencing the pain of a child’s murder.

After a weeklong visitation that started Aug. 12, Winchell, who lived in a home on East River Road in Isabella County, didn’t return Rowan to his mother as scheduled a week later.

It’s something he’s done in the past – a way to try to get under her skin and hurt her.

Winchell also shaved Rowan’s head against his will to upset his mother, who had been fighting for sole custody of Rowan in August 2019.

Indeed, the custody file in Isabella County Trial Court is inches thick, with entries for every hearing and other action that amounted to 261 entries in the Michigan Courts electronic filing system.

Not only did Winchell try to upset her, Morey Pols said, he also stalked her, and refused to let Isabella County authorities into his home after she told them Winchell didn’t property feed Rowan, making him subsist on toast.

When he was ordered to let authorities in to perform a wellness check, he had ample time to stock his refrigerator, according to Morey Pols.

When Morey Pols’ attorney filed an emergency motion Aug. 20 to give her sole temporary custody of Rowan in Isabella County Trial Court, Chief Judge Eric Janes denied the motion, instead setting a hearing for Sept. 5.

Speaking Wednesday morning in a raspy voice from crying for nearly a week, Morey Pols said something has to be done to protect children who are pawns in custody battles with parents who wish to harm them.

She isn’t alone.

Morey Pols, after getting through her 6-year-old son’s visitation and funeral this week, plans to meet with Michigan legislators next week who want to discuss with her what went wrong and how it can be fixed so it doesn’t happen to another child.

Morey Pols lives in Caledonia in Kent County, but State Rep. Jerry Neyer (R-Shepherd), whose district includes parts of Isabella and Gratiot counties, was appalled by Rowan’s murder and hopes to help in the fight give police more power to locate children who are not returned to the custodial parent on time.

“This tragedy is incomprehensible,” Neyer said by email Wednesday morning. “My prayers go out to Ms. Morey Pols and her entire family as this unthinkable situation is something in a parent’s worst nightmare.

“I will be looking at the current law to see how this could have been avoided and I will be working with our local agencies to see what steps we could take in the future to help prevent this type of event from affecting another family.”

While Isabella County Sheriff’s officials repeatedly went to Winchell’s home in search of him and Rowan, because custody cases are civil, they did not have the authority to break into the house to search, nor could they issue an Amber Alert – something Morey Pols wants changed to include parents who don’t return their children as scheduled in custody agreements.

At one point in her fight to get sole custody of Rowan, Morey Pols missed a court date because she was in treatment for breast cancer.

Rowan was showing signs of self-harm recently, and Morey Pols put him in Christian counseling through her church to try to help.

But she feels betrayed by a system that’s designed to protect children and allowed what she believes was an unstable man to have visitation with his son.

She also believes Winchell wanted her to go to his property to find Rowan so he could kill her too, and thinks both were still alive Aug. 20 when she went to her attorney’s office to file the emergency motion.

While Morey Pols is grateful for the overwhelming support and prayers offered by friends, family and strangers, she isn’t likely to let go of her anger at what she calls a flawed system that did not take her concerns seriously, instead berating her for her attempts to get authorities to listen to her and stop Winchell from harming her son.

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The grandmother of a girl seriously burned in a fire that claimed the life of her mother earlier this year in mid-Michigan has filed for legal custody of the child.

The girl’s father, Aaron Michael Painter, 36, has been charged with three felonies in the case, including involuntary manslaughter, the delivery or manufacturing of a controlled substance (marijuana) and third-degree child abuse.

He’s now free on bond awaiting trial in 29th Circuit Court in Gratiot County.

The grandmother, Karen Smith of St. Louis, is the mother of Ali Marie Smith, who died in the March 8 blaze at 170 E. Chestnut St., in Breckenridge, where she resided with Painter and their daughter, who was 7 at the time.

The custody case is being heard by Gratiot County Probate Judge Kristin Bakker, according to court records.

A pre-trial hearing has been set for Tuesday with a jury trial scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 9.

Ali Smith perished in the fire while her daughter was rescued from the burning structure and resuscitated by emergency responders at the scene.

The blaze was reported about 3:30 a.m. after witnesses reported hearing an explosion.Painter was found outside the home by rescue personnel and was taken to a local hospital then airlifted to Hurley Medical Center in Flint for treatment of burns he also suffered.

The Michigan State Police Fire Investigation Division was called in to help determine the cause and origin of the fire and Painter was later arrested and charged with the three felonies he currently faces.

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Detroit police took a Royal Oak High School student into custody for allegedly having a firearm on school property before a home football game on Thursday, Aug. 29.

Detroit police came to the school campus at 1500 Lexington Blvd. to make an arrest related to an incident outside the city, according to a statement from Principal Don Loomis.

When police investigated, they discovered the gun, the statement said.

“We are cooperating fully with law enforcement,” Loomis said in the statement. “If your student believes support is needed at school, please contact their school counselors, myself, or any of our school administrators.”

No further details of the incident were released.