By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
NILES, MI – Recent court news in Berrien and Cass County include the resignation of Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz, sentencings, and updates on upcoming cases.
Fitz announced his resignation Monday and reported that it will be effective May 19 after over two decades as the county prosecutor. Fitz began his tenure in Cass County May 19, 2003 and has run re-election numerous times since then.
In his resignation letter, Fitz said that it has been a “tremendous honor” serve with the men and women of law enforcement as well as others who promote justice and the protection of the community. He thanked his office staff past and present for their dedication.
“It has always been our objective to aggressively further public safety, justice, and the protection of crime victims,” he wrote.
Fitz’s successor will be named by Cass County Circuit Court Judge Mark Herman as required by law.
In sentencings, a Niles woman was sentenced to prison on drug charges while an Ohio woman involved in a multi-state theft ring was sentenced to jail.
Michalle Linley, 52, of Niles, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine as a habitual offender and was sentenced to 36 months to 15 years in prison with credit for 94 days already served. She must pay $1,548 in fines and costs.
The incident occurred Oct. 9, 2024 in Howard Township. Police observed the car she was riding in leaving a gas station and a store on M-60 at a high rate of speed. When the car was found at a nearby home, a search of the vehicle found a meth pipe, meth and meth residue.
Linley had just recently been released from parole after serving a prison sentence for tampering with an electronic device. She has been to prison three times in total before this sentence.
Judge Herman noted that Linley was charged with larceny in a building after the October, 2024 incident and is still waiting trial on that charge. On the meth charge, she absconded and failed to appear for her sentencing in 2025.
The judge noted that Linley originally was scheduled to be placed on probation but that offer was rescinded when she absconded. “Prison hasn’t helped you in the past but neither has probation and parole,” he said. “You just fall back into the same situation. You’ve shown no desire to be compliant with any community supervision. Your future is looking awfully dark if you don’t make changes.”
In a Berrien County Trial Court sentencing at the Niles courthouse, an Ohio woman was sentenced to jail for her involvement in a theft ring.
Skilar Rae Engman, 25, pleaded guilty to attempted organized retail crime and was sentenced to 120 days in jail with credit for 60 day already served. She must pay $198 in fines and costs and $1,947.96 in restitution to Wal-Mart.
The incident occurred March 6 at the Niles Wal-Mart.
Berrien County Trial Judge Gordon Hosbein noted that Engman has pending charges in Florida and Texas as well as in Wayne and St. Clair Counties in Michigan. Her jail sentence can be served in any penal institution in Michigan.
“You have wreaked havoc across several states,” he said.
Berrien County Sheriff’s Department records indicate that Engman was also being held as a fugitive from Medina County, Ohio. A published report in Ohio earlier this year indicated a multi-state retail theft ring had been uncovered involving over 1,700 fraudulent returns and dollar values of over $260,000.
A Dowagiac man who wielded a chain saw outside the Honor Credit Union branch office in Niles was sentenced to probation.
Jeromy Donald Northrop 39, of Dowagiac pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon and was sentenced to two years probation, credit for four days served and $666 in fines and costs.
The incident occurred earlier this year at the Niles Honor Credit Union.
In news about upcoming cases, the Missouri man accused in the 2023 slaying of a Niles man is having his case reset for a new preliminary hearing.
Jamie Phillip Perry, 32, of St. Louis, Missouri, faces a preliminary hearing next week on charges of open murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
The shooting took place at a home in the 1200 block of North 12th Street in Niles on Sept. 30, 2023. The home owner, Luke James Botica, was shot and killed that evening. Botica had met Perry earlier that day after Perry traveled to Niles to discuss a business deal.
Perry was bound over for trial on the charges in late 2023 but the trial never took place after a forensic examination was ordered to determine competency. Perry has been in and out of competency since then, most recently found to be competent earlier this year.
The Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the charges and reauthorized them earlier this month. That move was necessitated by the fact that Perry had been held for over 15 months with competency in question.
Perry had been scheduled to go to trial last week but had the process delayed with the latest move. New trial dates as well as a possible new forensic examination for competency will likely be set next week.