COURT NEWS

This week’s court news includes action in both Berrien and Cass courts. Former Benton Harbor Superintendent Leonard Seawood was sentenced in Berrien County Trial Court, receiving a sentence of probation and jail for embezzling money from the school district.

Seawood was found guilty of embezzlement and misappropriating school district funds by a Berrien County Trial Court jury in December. Although he faced a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, Berrien County Trial Judge Donna Howard sentenced him to five years probation, 90 days in jail and restitution of over $46,000.

A jury of six men and six women found Seawood guilty of one count of embezzlement $20,000 to $50,000, one count of obtaining money by false pretenses $20,000 to $50,000 and three counts of obtaining money by false pretenses $1,000 to $20,000.

Seawood was the Benton Harbor superintendent from July 2010 to October 2015. Investigators hired by the school district uncovered information that he got cash payouts for more than the allowed number of vacation days in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. The Michigan State Police then followed up with a criminal investigation.

Also in Berrien County Trial Court, a convicted sex offender was back in court to have his sentence adjusted.

Victor Aranda, 28, of Days Avenue in Buchanan, was originally sentenced to prison in late August for two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. He received two concurrent sentences of 22 years to 70 years in prison at that time.

Aranda was back in court last week after it was discovered that lifetime GPS monitoring had not been part of the original sentence. Berrien County Trial Judge Charles LaSata added the lifetime monitoring last week.

The incidents involved with the criminal sexual conduct occurred between April 2010 and February 2017 at a home in Buchanan.

Also in Berrien County Trial Court, a Niles man was sentenced to jail for fleeing and eluding police while another Niles man was given probation for assaultive behavior.

Aaron Eugene Jennings, 44, of South 13th Street in Niles, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree fleeing and eluding police and was sentenced to 120 days in jail and $498 in fines and costs. He is on parole from Indiana and has credit for no days served.

The incident occurred Nov. 24 when he fled from police and sped through a residential neighborhood. “It seems like I take two steps forward and three steps back,” he said. “I make terrible choices, I’m truly sorry.”

Judge LaSata called it a dangerous situation where children could have been hurt. “You could very easily be going to prison and maybe that’s where you belong,” he said.

Alexander Fleming, 27, of Platt Street in Niles, pleaded guilty to attempted assault by strangulation and was sentenced to three years probation, 120 days in jail and $1,318 in fines and costs. He can serve the jail term in the TriCap program in Midland, Mich. which LaSata described as similar to boot camp.

The incident occurred Sept. 24 against Cadesha Sims in Niles. LaSata questioned why Fleming came to Niles from Chicago and warned him he’s going to prison if he violates his probation. “You’re not the type of person we want here, you don’t have a job, you smoke dope and you commit crimes,” he said. “I’d just as soon you go back to Chicago.”

In other sentencings, a Marcellus man and a Dowagiac resident were sentenced to prison in Cass Circuit Court.

Michael Whitney Harris, 45, of Church Street in Marcellus, was sentenced to six to 20 years in prison for domestic violence and attempted assault by strangulation as a habitual offender. The incident occurred Aug. 14, 2016 in Marcellus.

Cheyenne Keianra Kiggins, 21, of Haines Street in Dowagiac, was sentenced to seven to 10 years in prison for possession of methamphetamine and five other drug related charges and carrying a concealed weapon. The incident occurred July 21, 2016 in Dowagiac.

Kiggins received a concurrent prison term of 23 months to four years for absconding or forfeiting bond on July 21, 2017 in Dowagiac.