COURT NEWS

By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent

This week’s court news includes arraignments, sentencings and the observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

Last week was National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and ceremonies were held in both Cassopolis and St. Joseph. The events served as an encouragement to everyone that victims are not forgotten and that there is hope for restoration and healing for those whose lives have been forever changed as a result of losing a loved one.

The Cass County event was held Thursday, April 11, at the Law & Courts Building outside of Cassopolis. Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz was among those speaking at the event.

In Berrien County, people gathered outside the Courthouse in St. Joseph on Friday, April 12 with a noontime balloon launch to honor those who died as the result of crime over the last year. The event gave families and friends of deceased victims the chance to honor the memory of their loved one by launching a balloon in the victim’s memory.

A Flint area woman who allegedly left three dogs inside a hot car for several hours in early April was scheduled to be arraigned this week in Cass County District Court on animal cruelty charges.

Sherrill Langford, 50, of Davison, Mich., was arrested April 7 by Pokagon Tribal Police outside the Four Winds Casino near Dowagiac after two dogs

were found dead inside her car at the casino and a third dog was severely dehydrated. The one dog still alive was turned over to Cass Animal Control.

She is charged with seven charges: three felony counts of killing/torturing animals-each carrying a maximum penalty of four years in prison, two misdemeanor counts of cruelty/abandonment of animals causing death, one misdemeanor count of cruelty/abandonment of two to three animals and one misdemeanor count of lying to a police officer.

In sentencings, a South Bend man was sentenced to prison this week in Berrien County Trial Court for dealing drugs.

Marcus Lorenzo Davis, 39, of South Bend, pleaded guilty to delivery/manufacture of methamphetamines and maintaining a drug vehicle

and was sentenced to three to 20 years in prison. He has credit for two days served and and ordered to pay $326 in fines and costs.

The incident occurred Nov. 14 on South 11^th Street in Niles Township when he was arrested after selling drugs.

Davis and his attorney, Edwin Johnson III, asked unsuccessfully to delay his being sent to prison as his son is having surgery this week. “He suffered a tragedy last July when his 12 year old son was shot in a random shooting,” Johnson said.

“I’ve made mistakes but I ask to be out for my son’s surgery,” Davis said.

Berrien County Trial Judge Charles LaSata called it a “troubling situation” with Davis being caught dealing drugs in both Michigan and Indiana.

In another sentencing, a Buchanan youth was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to attempted larceny from a person.

Joseph Paolucci-Hitchcock, 20, of Camp Madron Road in Buchanan,

pleaded guilty to attempted larceny from a person and was sentenced to three years probation, 200 days in jail, completion of boot camp and $958 in fines and costs. He has credit for 142 days already served.

The incident occurred Nov. 4 in Buchanan when he robbed an acquaintance at gunpoint. “It’s a troubling thing, your crimes seem to be escalating,” Judge LaSata said. “Be careful on probation, if you’re unsuccessful on probation, you could go to prison. I’ll give probation another chance, but it’s not going to go well if you violate.”

In Cass County Circuit Court sentencings, two Dowagiac residents were sentenced to prison.

Gary Lee Leiting, 48, of Third Avenue in Dowagiac, pleaded guilty to

possession of meth and operating while impaired as a habitual third offender and was sentenced to concurrent terms of four to 20 years and three to 10 years in prison.

He has credit for 128 days already served and must pay $1,616 in fines and costs and $260 in restitution. His license was revoked as is required with the operating while impaired conviction.

The incident occurred July 23 in Dowagiac. Cass Circuit Judge Mark Herman reported that Leiting sped away at a high rate of speed when police tried to stop him in the parking lot of a local motel. He was eventually stopped at Whitney and Wooden Streets where meth was found in his vehicle.

Judge Mark Herman noted that at age 48, Leiting has 13 previous felony and 37 previous misdemeanor convictions. “This could have been a dangerous situation as you ran and tried to evade police,” he said.

Leiting’s past record includes a 2013 conviction in Berrien County Trial Court when he was living in Berrien Springs. He was sentenced to prison then for resisting and obstructing police and attempted malicious destruction of police property as a habitual offender.

Jami Lynn Cabana, 39, of Orchard Street in Dowagiac, pleaded guilty to possession of meth, unarmed robbery and larceny in a building and was

sentenced to three concurrent prison terms. She received 25 months to 22 ½ years for unarmed robbery, 21 months to six years for larceny in a building and 17 months to 10 years for meth possession.

Cabana has credit for 140 days already served and must pay $2,314 in fines and costs and $1,005.50 in restitution.

The meth incident occurred Nov. 24 at First Street and Beckwith Avenue in Dowagiac when police found meth pills on her when they stopped the car she was in. The robbery incident occurred Oct. 3 at a home on West Division Street in Dowagiac.