Articles Posted in Sex Crimes

Stuart Dunnings III, the former prosecutor for Ingham County who served for nearly 20 years and began his career as prosecutor in 1997, has pleaded guilty to two charges after 13 of the charges involving patronage of prostitutes over a five year period were dropped in a plea deal.

Initially, Dunnings faced 10 counts of engaging in prostitution, four counts of willful neglect of duty, and a single count of pandering prostitution.  According to witness statements, Dunnings paid for YMCA memberships, rent, methadone treatments, and other things in exchange for sex.

While he was Ingham County prosecutor, Dunnings was allegedly soliciting sex with prostitutes while at the same time publicly attacking human trafficking.  Now, according to Michigan AG Bill Schuette, Dunnings has pleaded guilty to a single felony misconduct in office charge, and one misdemeanor count of soliciting a prostitute.
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According to federal campus safety data, in 2014 the colleges and universities with the highest number of rapes on campus were the University of Connecticut and Brown University, a private Ivy League university in Providence, RI. However, sexual assault among college students (whether on or off campus) is a growing problem around the nation.

A survey involving 150,000+ students at 27 universities conducted by the Association of American Universities revealed some very disturbing numbers. What’s not surprising is that in many cases, unwanted sexual contact or even rape occurs when students are under the influence of drugs or alcohol – in other words, incapacitated.

The survey found that 23% of female college students who participated said they had been the victims of unwanted sexual contact, whether it be kissing or touching, or even rape. Almost 11% claimed they were forced into unwanted oral sex or penetration.

Being charged with sexual assault at any level can be life changing.  In Michigan, sexual assault or rape is charged as criminal sexual conduct, or CSC of varying degrees.  An individual may be charged with first-, second-, third-, or fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct depending on certain factors such as whether penetration occurred, the age of the alleged victim, and more.

The person charged with CSC may be referred to as the defendant or “actor.”  There are certain definitions under Michigan Penal Code Section 750.520a that will help you better understand each degree (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th) as we explain them below.  

Actor.  The actor, or defendant, is the individual accused of committing CSC.

Intimate parts include the breast, groin, buttock, inner thigh, or primary genital area of an individual.

Sexual penetration includes not only sexual intercourse, but any intrusion by an object or other body part into an opening (genital, anal) and also includes anal intercourse, fellatio, and cunnilingus.

Sexual contact is defined as deliberate touching of someone else’s intimate parts as defined above, regardless of whether those intimate parts are clothed or unclothed.

First- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct (or sexual assault) involves penetration, which second- and fourth-degree CSC (sexual assault) involves only sexual contact.
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Ivan N. was 17 years old when he admitted that he had touched his 7-year-old adoptive sister (referred to  as the “victim”) by using his penis and hands to touch her genital area numerous times over the period of approximately one year.  At 17, Ivan N. was considered a minor; his adoptive parents learned of the sexual abuse (molestation) due to an incident that occurred in the home.  In April of 2015, Ivan N. was arrested and charged with two counts of committing a lewd act on a minor under the age of 14; he was arraigned and confined at juvenile hall.

The court dismissed one count after Ivan admitted to one count in May of 2015.  He admitted that he molested the victim to get back at his parents, and apologized during an interview for his conduct.  Ivan was referred to an outpatient or residential facility following a psychological evaluation, a facility offering therapy and programming for treatment of adolescent male sex offenders.  It was determined that Ivan was a person described by section 602 who was subject to probation.  The probation department prepared a social study, which recommended Ivan, could receive appropriate treatment at a CBO (community based organization).
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Most people who think of sex offenders automatically believe a male is the perpetrator. The fact is, the incidence of sexual violence or assault involving women who are the offenders is growing. While the tendency to commit sexual crimes can emerge in adolescence, many offenses involving teens or adults go unreported, regardless of whether the alleged offender is male or female.

Approximately 9% of youths report they were the victims of some form of sexual violence in a Growing Up With Media national study in 2010 in which information was collected online. The acts committed against these youths included coercive sex, forced sexual contact, attempted rape, and completed rape. Interestingly, the results of the study found that while males were more likely to commit a sex-related offense against a younger victim, offenses in which females were the perpetrators most often involved victims who were older. Additionally, the study concluded that males tend to commit sexual violence at an earlier age than females, which may suggest different developmental courses.

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A Dearborn man has been charged with attempted sexual assault and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct after he allegedly lured a woman to an abandoned home through a housecleaning ad in Canton, according to news reports.

The two met in Dearborn, where the woman who was answering the ad got into a vehicle with the man who drove her to a vacant home in Canton and forced her inside. She fought the man off and ran to a neighbor who called 911, while the alleged attacker fled. He was apprehended in Dearborn a few hours later.

As a Michigan sex crimes attorney well known for achieving outstanding results for clients accused of sexual assault, rape, and related offenses, Scott Grabel and the staff of criminal defense lawyers at Grabel & Associates are driven to obtain the best possible outcome for every client the firm represents.

Kip Wilson, a 47-year-old Huron High School teacher and resident of Ypsilanti, is on trial again for the alleged drugging and rape of a woman who Wilson claims he was trying to build an exclusive relationship with. The alleged rape took place in July of 2012 after Wilson and the woman, who came to his home, drank what have been referred to as “killer margaritas.”

Wilson was tried on charges of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, but a mistrial was declared in October of last year after jurors received a document by mistake, one that prejudiced them. He is now on trial for a second time, and adamantly insists from the witness stand that he did not rape the woman, that she was far more aggressive and experienced in the area of sex than he is, and that she was the one who initiated oral sex after the two continued drinking margaritas, which he claimed she said was the best she had ever had.

Wilson said on the stand that the two did eventually have sex, and that the alleged victim was “very active,” asking him to engage in acts he found uncomfortable. Wilson went on to say that the woman fell asleep, and when she later awoke seemed confused, asking if they had engaged in sex. Wilson told her yes, and had also told her where she could find some medicine for her headache. He said that out of concern, he had her stay for a while and drink water. During that time he claims the two discussed the possibility of being exclusive, what had taken place that night, and plans for future dates.

Recently, 45-year-old Sgt. Michael E. Alexander, a Washington County, Oregon sheriff’s sergeant, was arrested for allegedly traveling to Idaho twice in 2015 for the purpose of having sex with a 15-year-old boy Alexander met through a dating app, according to authorities.

Alexander has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of investigations. News reports claim he faces once charge of enticing a child over the Internet or other communication device, and two counts of lewd conduct with a minor child under 16. Alexander was jailed on February 4 and bail set at $1 million. A spokesman with the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office said Alexander turned himself in in Idaho.

Inappropriate text messages are what led police in Idaho to investigate Alexander. The alleged victim’s mother found the text messages on her son’s cell phone. Authorities discovered Alexander had come in contact with the victim via Grindr, a dating app. He then traveled to Idaho twice, once in June of 2015 and once in September of 2015, allegedly to have sex with the teenage boy.

Yesterday it was announced that a 37-year-old former science teacher was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of choking and sexually assaulting a woman in October of 2013. Dale Kukucka of Andover still proclaims his innocence in the incident that allegedly took place inside a women’s restroom at the East Haddam Grange Hall. Kukucka is accused of choking the 23-year-old victim to the point of unconsciousness, then sexually assaulting her.

A public defender in the case requested that Kukucka get five years due to the fact that up until the time of his arrest, the defendant had lived an admirable life. He also pointed out that the crimes were fueled by alcohol. According to news reports, Kukucka, who was a teacher at Carmen Arace Intermediate School and the woman were at the hall during the Moodus Drum and Fife Corps Ancient Muster. It was not mentioned whether the two knew each other.

In June of last year, Kukucka rejected a plea deal choosing to go to trial. He stills insists he is innocent, but now stands convicted on a single charge each of first-degree strangulation, third-degree sexual assault, and third-degree assault. Two people came into the bathroom while the alleged attack was occurring, a man and a woman. The man attempted to keep Kukucka there until police arrived, but the defendant assaulted him and then fled. Kukucka’s girlfriend reportedly showed a photo of the defendant that was on her cell phone to the man, who confirmed he was the one who assaulted himself and the victim.

On December 27, a Bexar County detention officer allegedly forced a female inmate to have sex in the jail parking lot in a Sheriff’s Office van, according to news reports at Expressnews.com. 35-year-old Erick Montez has now been arrested and is facing termination.

Sheriff Susan Pamerleau said the department had obtained surveillance footage that appears to support the female inmate’s allegations. She also said that Montez confessed after questioning by investigators.

Pamerleau said that in his employment capacity, Montez was responsible for transporting inmates and overseeing a housing unit. She called the sexual assault a “disgrace,” saying Montez not only violated the inmate, but the public’s trust. Pamerleau said in a recent news conference that the termination process for Montez was underway.

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