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NEWS UDPATES

Monday, November 12, 2018

Virgil Smith - Former state senator who entered into a 2016 plea agreement after a shooting incident involving his ex-wife. Today Judge Talon granted the motion to set aside Smith's former plea to Malicious Destruction of Property and set a $1000 personal bond ordering no contact with the complainant. The original felony charges of Malicious Destruction of Property, Felonious Assault and Felony Firearm and misdemeanor Domestic Violence were reinstated.* The Final Conference is scheduled on December 14, 2018, and the jury trial is scheduled on March 4, 2019, both at 8:30 a.m.

*The charges are allegations and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Two Men Charged in Fatal Shooting at Traffic Light

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has charged Courtney Deandre Sweeney, 30 (DOB: 04/10/1988) of Clinton Township, and Dajuan Anton Irving, 29 (DOB: 06/17/1989) of Warren, in connection with the fatal shooting of Dorian Dante Heath, 24, of Sterling Heights.

On November 7, 2018 at approximately 2:20 a.m., the victim was a front seat passenger in a vehicle with three other men. They stopped for a red light at Gratiot and St. Antoine in Detroit. It is alleged that Defendants Sweeney and Irving, in two separate vehicles, fired weapons into the victims' vehicle. The driver of the car with Heath sped away from the gunfire and flagged down Detroit Police officers who escorted the men to a local hospital for treatment. Heath was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. The other victims were treated for their injuries.

Sweeney and Irving have both been charged with Murder - First Degree, Weapons Discharge from a Vehicle Causing Death, three counts of Assault with Intent to Murder and five counts of Felony Firearm.*

Both defendants were arraigned out-county on November 10, 2018 before Magistrate Vesta Svenson. The Probable Cause Conference is scheduled for November 20, 2018 at 8:30 a.m.; the Preliminary Examination is scheduled for November 27, 2018 at 1:30 p.m. Both hearings are before Judge Ronald Giles in 36^th District Court. Both defendants were remanded to jail.

*The charges are allegations and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Friday, November 16, 2018

Romulus Man Charged in Fatal Bus Shelter Car Crash

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has charged Ralph Otis Davis, 55 (DOB: 03/12/1963) of Romulus, in connection with the fatal car crash that killed Michael Aphonzo Jones, Jr., 61 and seriously wounded two other people as they waited in a bus shelter for a DDOT bus.

On September 25, 2018 at approximately 1:45 p.m., Detroit police officers were dispatched to the area of Dexter Avenue and Clements Street in Detroit in response to a car crash. Upon arrival, officers discovered three people inside a bus shelter who had been seriously injured. Medics conveyed the three victims to a local hospital for treatment. Mr. Jones was pronounced dead at the hospital.

It is alleged that the defendant was driving northbound on Dexter Avenue when he drove into the southbound lane and struck the bus shelter. More complete facts will be presented at the Preliminary Examination.

Davis has been charged with Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death and Operating While Intoxicated Causing Serious Injury.* He was arraigned on November 14, 2018 before 36^th District Court Magistrate Dawn White. The Probable Cause Conference is scheduled for November 19, 2018 at 8:30 a.m.; the Preliminary Examination is scheduled for November 26, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. Both hearings are before Judge Deborah Lewis Langston in 36^th District Court. The defendant received a $100,000/10% bond.

*The charges are allegations and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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