COURT NEWS

Last week’s court news included sentencings as well as the arraignment of a Benton Harbor man in connection with an April shooting death.
Berrien County Prosecutor Michael Sepic announced late last week that Willie Deandre Hassel, 20, of Benton Harbor, has been charged with Open Murder in the shooting death of John Conyers, age 30, also of Benton Harbor on April 7, 2017.
The April 7 incident occurred in the parking lot of the Salvation Army at 233 Michigan Avenue in Benton Harbor at about 8 p.m. and is believed to be drug-related, Sepic reported. What appears to have originated as an illicit sale of pills that turned into a fight, which resulted in Willie Hassel allegedly shooting John Conyers twice in the torso.

Open Murder carries the possibility of a life sentence without the possibility of parole.  Hassel is also charged with additional counts of Carrying a Concealed Weapon, a five year felony; Conspiracy to Deliver a Schedule IV Controlled Substance, a four year felony; and Felony Firearm, a mandatory 2 year consecutive offense.

Bond was set at $700,000 cash or surety bond. He will next be in Berrien County Trial Court Friday for a pre-exam conference and Dec. 14 for the preliminary examination hearing.
Hassel was also arraigned last week on six assault and weapon charges stemming from a Dec. 1, 2016 incident in Benton Harbor. Bond in those cases was set at $50,000.
In a Berrien County Trial Court sentencing, a Benton Township man was sentenced to prison for unlawful imprisonment and to jail for assault with a dangerous weapon. He was given credit for time served, 64 days, for aggravated domestic violence.
William Scholtes, 49, had been convicted in jury trial in September. At last week’s sentencing, he was given a 43 month prison term for unlawful imprisonment and five months in jail for assault with a dangerous weapon, a gun.
In other sentencings, a Dowagiac man with a history of assaultive and property destruction behavior was sentenced Friday in Cass Circuit Court to three concurrent one year jail terms.
Jason Lee Ottinger, 24, of Courtland Street in Dowagiac, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine and two counts of resisting and obstructing police, all as a habitual offender, and was sentenced to three terms of 365 days in jail.
Ottinger was given credit for 169 days already served. He must pay $1,814 in fines and costs.
The possession of meth incident occurred May 22 when Dowagiac police contacted him and found meth related items in his possession. He wasn’t arrested then, but was on June 15 when police found him trying to break into vehicles on West Telegraph Street.
Ottinger fled before he was arrested and then tried to break out of the patrol car, kicked at officers and told one he was going to kill him. Officers ended up suffering knee and shoulder injuries.
Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Hubbard said Ottinger has “quite an extensive criminal history” with “a lot of out of control, erratic behavior.” “He’s a danger to the public and to himself,” he said.
Cass Circuit Judge Mark Herman agreed that Ottinger has anger problems. He noted that Ottinger has three prior malicious destruction of property and six assaultive convictions.
In other sentencings in Cass Circuit Court, a Battle Creek man was sentenced to jail on weapons charges while a Marcellus man was sentenced to jail for a breaking and entering charge.
Dustin Merkle, 22, of Marcellus Highway in Marcellus, pleaded guilty to breaking and entering a building with intent to commit larceny and was sentenced to 365 days in jail. He has credit for 7 days already served and must pay over $975 in restitution.
The incident occurred March 12 at a building on Marcellus Highway in Marcellus on the north side of the county.
Maurice Lloyd Parks, 28, of Battle Creek, pleaded guilty to receiving and concealing stolen weapons, carrying a concealed weapon and carrying a concealed weapon while intoxicated and was sentenced to 365 days in jail. He has credit for 92 days already served. He must pay $1,826 in fines and costs.
The incident occurred Sept. 1 on Dutch Settlement Road in Volinia Township near Cassopolis. Parks’ vehicle broke down on the road and police found weapons in his car when they arrived on the scene.