By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
Recent court action in Berrien County Trial Court and Cass Circuit Court includes a delay in the George Field trial in Cass County, a plea in a Berrien County murder case and a number of sentencings.
The Field trial has been delayed after Cass Circuit Judge Mark Herman
granted a prosecution motion for an adjournment last week. Field, a former Southwestern Michigan College instructor accused of criminal sexual conduct against one of his students, insurance fraud and other charges, had been scheduled to go on trial this week.
Prosecutors told Herman that three of their witnesses would be unavailable to testify this week and they were also still trying to secure an insurance fraud expert witness. The trial is now set to start Sept. 18.
Judge Herman did grant a defense request to reduce Field’s bond from $200,000 cash or surety to $50,000 cash or surety to give him a better chance of being released on bond. Field has been in jail since last September.
The Alex Perez murder case will not go to trial after Berrien County Prosecutor Michael Sepic and Perez’s attorneys reached a plea deal. Perez has pleaded no contest but mentally ill to two counts of second-degree murder and will receive a prison sentence of 40 to 60 years when he’s sentenced July 16.
Perez, 26, is accused of killing the mother of his two children as well as her father inside their Hagar Township home in January 2016. Police found him and the two children in Colorado after the murders. Since his arrest, he has had psychiatric testing and treatment to be found competent to stand trial.
Sepic said he agreed to the plea deal because of uncertainty about whether Perez would be convicted by a jury during a trial. He noted that Perez’s attorneys were planning to use an insanity defense which would result in him being freed if the jury believed them.
In sentencings, a Dowagiac man is going to prison after stabbing another man during a drug deal.
Joshua Warren Proctor, 22, of Lyle Avenue in Dowagiac, pleaded guilty to four felony charges and was given two terms of 14 to 40 years in prison, one term of 10 to 40 years in prison and one term of three to 10 years in prison. All terms are concurrent. He has credit for 277 days served and must pay $1,402 in fines and costs.
Proctor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assault with intent to rob while armed, assault with intent to rob while armed, assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder and lying to a police officer, all as a habitual fourth offender. He was originally charged with a total of 10 felonies including assault with intent to murder.
The incident occurred Sept. 8, 2017 at Jefferson and Paris Streets in Dowagiac. Proctor and his girlfriend, Autumn Parsons, confronted Zane Sams about a marijuana purchase. A fight ensued and Sams ended up stabbed multiple times.
“You let your addiction take you down the wrong path,” Judge Herman said. “You’re lucky you’re not here on a murder charge. Whether you were ripping him off or he was ripping you off, a drug deal can go bad even if you go in innocently.”
In Berrien County Trial Court, a Niles man is going to prison after stealing thousands of dollars worth of equipment from a local business.
Thomas Paul Lano, 37, of West Chicago Road, Niles, pleaded no contest to
unlawful driving away of a motor vehicle and was sentenced to 23 to 60 months in prison. He must pay over $5,700 in restitution.
The incident occurred Oct. 13 when he stole a skid steer and other equipment from Highpoint Electric on Saratore Road in Bertrand Township. He was identified on a security camera and police found the items at home on Oak Road in South Bend.
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