HIGH PROFILE COUNTY AND STATE CASE UPDATES

ST. JOSEPH – A former Coloma Township police officer has been charged with theft by the Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office.
Kraig Mitchell, 33, now of Kalamazoo has been charged with four counts of theft of controlled substances that had been in the possession of the Coloma Township Police Department. He was arraigned in Berrien County Trial Court last Friday and faces a pre-exam conference Friday and a preliminary hearing next Thursday, March 2.
Berrien County Prosecutor Michael Sepic reported that Mitchell is charged with Tampering with Evidence, a 10 year felony; Obstruction of Justice, a 5 year felony; one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance, (schedule I and II), a 4 year felony; and one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance, (schedule III), a 2 year felony.
Mitchell was discovered to have possession of a heroin/fentanyl mix and codeine tablets on January 10, 2017 when he was a patrolman with the Coloma Township Police Department.
Relating to the heroin/fentanyl mix (schedule I and schedule II controlled substances, respectively), Mitchell allegedly took that mixture from the scene of an overdose death he participated in investigating that day in Coloma Township.
Later the same day, it is alleged Mitchell was found to be in possession of pills containing codeine, (a schedule III controlled substance). The pills were taken from the township’s MedReturn Box, a secure unit in place for citizens to deposit unused pills and medicine, while an inventory of the deposited drugs was being completed.
In other court news from around the state, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette issued statements last week on three high profile cases.
Schuette commented on the case against former USA gymnastics coach Dr. Larry Nassar as well as the sentencing of former State Rep. Brian Banks of Harper Woods and the guilty plea of a man who attacked an Ingham County assistant prosecutor.
In addition to being the former USA gymnastics coach, Nassar practiced sports medicine at Michigan State University where he was also the team doctor for two women’s sports teams and volunteered with a Lansing area gymnastics facility. The CBS news magazine, 60 Minutes, aired a report about the Nassar allegations Sunday.
Nassar has been charged with criminal sexual conduct for allegedly assaulting a girl in his Lansing area home and has been bound over for trial after a preliminary hearing last week. He also faces civil lawsuits and federal child pornography crimes.
“I am grateful for the dedication of the Michigan State Police Department and the prosecutors in the Department of Attorney General for their continued hard work on this case,” Schette said. “I admire the courage of the young woman who had to relive her terrifying experience and I am grateful that Judge Allen bound over Dr. Nassar on these extremely serious charges.”
Schuette also commented on the sentencing of Banks, 40, on a charge of filing false financial statements. Banks resigned from office earlier this month. He was sentenced last week to one day in jail with credit for one day served for a misdemeanor charge on filing false financial statements.
“Former Rep. Banks pleaded guilty, admitting he did indeed commit the crime for which he was sentenced,” Schuette said. “I am pleased to see this case come to a close and that the residents of his district have the chance to get an honest, hardworking and law-abiding representative.”
He originally charged Banks with four criminal charges related to falsifying documents to obtain a loan from a Detroit-area credit union in June 2016. Banks resigned from the State House of Representatives Feb. 6 and a plea deal resulted in the four felony charges being dismissed upon his guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge.
A special election to fill the house seat has been scheduled for August.
In the last case, Joshua Harding, 35, of Okemos, pleaded guilty to three felony charges related to his August 2016 courtroom attack on Ingham County Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Roth. Harding will be sentenced March 15.
Harding attacked the prosecutor Aug. 2, 2016 just before a jury convicted him of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He took a shank from his shirt sleeve and tried to stab Roth in the head. He was sentenced in September to 19 years in prison on the CSC charge.
In the courtroom attack case, he is charged with assault to commit murder which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, carrying a concealed weapon, a five year felony and possession of a weapon in jail, a five year felony. A fourth charge of terrorism was dismissed.
“Prosecutors like Mr. Roth go to work every day and seek to provide justice for Michigan victims and Mr. Harding brazenly threatened his ability to do that,” Schuette said. “I am grateful that this case is growing closer to a close and want to once again commend the quick action of the officers involved in thwarting this attack, if not for their actions the result of this attack could have been much worse.”