Michigan Sex Crime Attorneys Blog

A well-liked Tuscola County softball coach has been accused of having sex with a 14-year-old student. According to the Huron Daily Tribune, he has been charged with 12 counts, including 4 first degree criminal sexual conduct (CSC) and 8 second degree criminal sexual conduct charges. 1st degree CSC is sometimes referred to as rape. 2d degree CSC involves touching of a sexual nature of an intimate body part.

If charged with any sex crime, it is critical to contact an experienced sex crimes defense lawyer to protect your rights, your future, and your reputation.

Here, the alleged acts occurred on school grounds. The man came under investigation after the parent saw several personal text messages to the 14-year-old. News reports indicate that the people from around the community are heartbroken and don't believe the accused is the same person they knew for so long.

Continue reading "Tuscola County Softball Coach Accused Of Criminal Sexual Condcut " »

The West Bloomfield Police recently settled a wrongful prosecution lawsuit with the family of an autistic girl. The girl's parents - Julian and Thal Wendrow - had been arrested in 2008. A former Oakland County prosecutor charged Julian with first-degree sexual assault, alleging that he had repeatedly raped his severely autistic daughter. His wife was arrested for failure to protect the child. These charges are extremely serious, with penalties including substantial jail time and long-term placement of your name on the Michigan sex-crimes registry as well as significant damage to your reputation in the community.

The charges filed were based solely on the "statements" of the girl who does not speak and functions on the level of a 2-year-old. No physical evidence was collected, but through the use of a method known as "Facilitated Communication," the girl typed the allegations with a teacher's aide guiding her hand. This method has been denounced by experts as conveying the aide's thoughts - not the patient's.

Despite the unreliable nature of these statements, the parents suffered the nightmare of being charged for sex crimes, having their children taken away and placed in foster care, and being jailed.

Continue reading "Oakland County Rape Prosecution "Troubling" Says District Judge" »

A recent case involving a Central Michigan University student highlights the long-term and often unjust consequences of statutory rape and sexual misconduct laws on teens. News out of Saginaw and Mount Pleasant reports that a 19-year-old man from Isabella County's Union Township faces a potential 4-year prison sentence after failing to notify law-enforcement that his name was on the Michigan sex offender list.

David Cheatham was forced to place his name of the sex offender registry when he was just 14 as the result of a conviction for second-degree criminal sexual conduct (sexual touching an intimate body part) with a person under the age of 13. The consequences of this one act, engaged in by a 14 year-old, continue to affect Cheatham's daily life. Now, as a college student trying to improve his life and continue his education, he faces jail instead.

Continue reading "CMU Student Faces Jail Sentence For Failure To Notify Mount Pleasant Officials Of Sex Offender Status" »

An accused rapist was set free earlier this week after DNA evidence cleared his name. The Texas man - Cornelius Dupree Jr. - was declared innocent after spending 30 years in prison for a 1979 rape and robbery he didn't commit.

Over the years he had been given two chances to make parole and be released, but only if he would admit to being a sex offender. Dupree Jr. refused to do so, steadfastly maintaining his innocence. Nationally, only two other people have been exonerated by DNA evidence after spending more time in jail.

Imprisoned as a young adult, the now 51-year-old Dupree stated, "It's a joy to be free again."

In Michigan, DNA analysis has exonerated two men over the last year of sex crimes they didn't commit. It is unknown how many other innocent men and women sit in jail for crimes they didn't commit, often waiting on DNA evidence that will prove their innocence. Unfortunately, a significant backlog of untested DNA evidence exists in Michigan and around the country.

Continue reading "DNA Evidence Exonerates Man After 30 Years" »