Legal News for Grand Rapids, Michigan
Kent County
United States of America v. Robert Graham Ward
Grand Rapids, Michigan, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. On January 12, 2025, first responders responded to a 911 call at a hotel in Gaylord, Michigan and pronounced a 25-year-old man dead of a drug overdose. A woman who was last with the decedent before his death cooperated with law enforcement and stated that she re... More...
(03-25-2026 - MI)United States of America v. Stephen Duane Woods, Jr.
Grand Rapids, Michigan, criminal defense lawyer Michael Bartish represented the Defendant charged with felony possession of a firearm. Once the officers successfully detained Woods, he told them multiple times that he didn’t have anything on his person. One officer then patted Woods down but didn’t find a gun. Other officers used their flashlights to look through the windows of Woods’s ... More...
(03-10-2026 - MI)United States of America v. Thomas Patrick Shannon
Grand Rapids, Michigan, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with sexual exploitation of children. Thomas Shannon, 44, exploited at least eighteen children online, ranging in ages from 12 to 17. Police discovered Shannon’s crimes when a16-year-old minor in North Carolina reported that she had been sexually exploited on Snapchat. Investigators identified the perpetrato... More...
(03-06-2026 - MI)United States of America v. Thomas Patrick Shannon
Grand Rapids, Michigan, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with exploitation of children From 2019 through 2024, Thomas Shannon, 44, previously of Byron Center, exploited at least eighteen children online, ranging in ages from 12 to 17. Police discovered Shannon’s crimes when a16-year-old minor in North Carolina reported that she had been sexually exploited on Snapcha... More...
(02-26-2026 - MI)In re: Thomas William O'Hara
Grand Rapids, Michigan, bankruptcy lawyer represented the Petitioner seeking a chapter 13 bankruptcy. Thomas O’Hara filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. At a hearing on the United States Trustee’s motion to dismiss, the bankruptcy court made clear its intent to convert the case to Chapter 7. But O’Hara did not move to dismiss his Chapter 13 case until after the bankruptcy court had entered i... More...
(02-14-2026 - mi)United States of America v. Brandon Lemar Baines
Grand Rapids, Michigan, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with possession with intent to distribute over 12 pounds of methamphetamine. On January 23, 2025, officers with the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team (KVET), a multijurisdictional narcotics enforcement team working in the Kalamazoo County area, stopped a van carrying over 12 pounds of methamphetamine as it returne... More...
(01-16-2026 - MI)United States of America v. Brandon Lemar Baines
Grand Rapids, Michigan, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. On January 23, 2025, officers with the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team (KVET), a multijurisdictional narcotics enforcement team working in the Kalamazoo County area, stopped a van carrying over 12 pounds of methamphetamine as it returned from Det... More...
(01-05-2026 - MI)State of Michigan v. John Doe
Grand Rapids, Michigan, criminal defense lawyer represent the Defendant charged with murder. Detroit Jones, 38, died after Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) officers found him in the area of Southeast Lafayette Avenue and Sycamore Street at 1:30 a.m. with critical injuries from being shot. The GRPD arrested a man believed to be the shooter.... More...
(12-23-2025 - MI)United States of America v. Nazzarie Acoy Carmouche-Heath
Grand Rapids, Michigan, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with possessing and intending to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl. During a search of Nazzarie Acoy Carmouche-Heath's Battle Creek, residence in March 2025, officers found over 1 kilogram of fentanyl, two firearms, thousands of dollars of cash, and what appeared to be an area designed to manufacture counterfe... More...
(12-19-2025 - MI)Rhonda Hehrer v. County of Clinton, Michigan, et al.
Grand Rapids, Michigan, personal injury lawyers represented the Plaintiff who sued on a deliberate indifference civil rights violation wrongful death theory. This case’s tragic facts took place during Joseph Hehrer’s detention at a county jail. After Hehrer showed signs of illness (including vomiting), medical staff repeatedly evaluated him. Yet they failed to uncover that he suffered f... More...
(12-16-2025 - MI)State of Michigan v. Teenager John Doe
Grand Rapid, Michigan, criminal defense lawyer represents Defendant charged with attempted murder for shooting at police officers. The Defendant, age 18, was walking on a sidewalk when he was recognized by officers as wanted in connection with the theft of a firearm. The Officers ordered him to stop, but he turned an pointed a gun at them. A number of shots were fire by the suspect and th... More...
(12-16-2025 - MI)United States of America v. Nazzarie Acoy Carmouche-Heath
Grand Rapids, Michigan, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. During a search of Nazzarie Acoy Carmouche-Heath’s Battle Creek residence in March 2025, officers found over 1 kilogram of fentanyl, two firearms, thousands of dollars of cash, and what appeared to be an area designed to manufacture counterfeit fentanyl pills i... More...
(12-16-2025 - MI)United States of America v. Michael Osborn Thomas
Grand Rapids, Michigan, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. In 2017, Thomas pled guilty to several state charges, including the delivery of cocaine and methamphetamine, and was sentenced to prison. In late 2019, he was released on parole. Within a few weeks of his release, he had returned to drug trafficking... More...
(10-24-2025 - MI)Charles Bozzo v. Jennifer Nanasy, et al.
Grand Rapids, Michigan, employment law lawyer represented the Plaintiff who sued on a civil rights violation theory under 42 U.S.C. 1983. rles Bozzo was fired from his job as a correctional officer with the Michigan Department of Corrections after a coworker accused him of making harassing comments. Years later, he sued two MDOC employees under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, claiming that the p... More...
(10-24-2025 - MI)State of Michigan v. John Doe
Grand Rapids, Michigan, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with assault with a dangerous weapon. A man was shot and taken to the hospital after he charged at a Grand Rapids police officer with a knif. ... More...
(10-15-2025 - MI)B.A., et al. v. Tri County Area Schools, et al.
Rapid City, Michigan civil rights lawyers represented the Plaintiffs who claimed that their Constitutional Rights were violated by the Defendants. Two middle schoolers in Michigan wore sweatshirts emblazoned with the phrase "Let's Go Brandon†to school. Based on the commonly understood meaning of the slogan, the school administrators determined that the sweatshirts were inappropriat... More...
(10-15-2025 - MI)United States of America v. Corwin Monte Jett, Jr.
Grand Rapids, Michigan, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Corwin Jett pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Almost three years passed between his commission of the crime and his arrest. In the interim, he moved to Atlanta, got a job, and had no criminal encounters with... More...
(10-15-2025 - MI)United States of America v. Norma Yanari Ayala, Edgidio Vasquez-Mencho
Grand Rapids, Michigan criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendants charged with Selling Phony United States Identification Cards. U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that Norma Yanari Ayala (34), Rigoberto Vasquez-Vasquez (42), and Edgidio Vasquez-Mencho (41) were arrested in Grand Rapids on September 30, 2025. All three were indicted... More...
(09-30-2025 - MI)Julie A. Tamm and Rosannea M. Przybylski v. Milan Nerad
Grand Rapids, Michigan personal injury lawyer represented the Plaintiff who sued Count I—First Amendment Retaliation (42 U.S.C. § 1983) (official and personal capacity); Count II—Llewellyn Preemption (state-law claim); Count III— Reasonableness Challenge – Square Lake (state-law claim); Count IV—Selective Enforcement Equal Protection) (§ 1983) (official an... More...
(09-25-2025 - MI)United States of America v. Terrence Wayne VanOchten
Grand Rapids, Michigan, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with felony possession of a firearm by a drug user. Section 922(g)(3) of Title 18 prohibits unlawful drug users from possessing firearms. 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3). Echoing the sentiment that drug users in possession of firearms raise heightened safety concerns, the Sentencing Guidelines instruct district co... More...
(08-15-2025 - MI)Mike Yoder, et al. v. Scott Bowen, et al.
Grand Rapids, Michigan civil rights lawyers represented the Plaintiff t challenging a Michigan law that bans the use of drones to hunt or collect downed game. After a hunter shoots a game animal, such as a deer, the animal often runs away and dies in another location. Tracking dogs and trail cameras are two ways of finding the animal. DDR offers a third option—one that it s... More...
(08-06-2025 - MI)United States of America v. Luke Isaac Terpstra
Grand Rapids, Michigan criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with Transporting Explosives and Possessing a Destructive Device Grant Man Sentenced to 36 Months for Transporting Explosives and Possessing a Destructive Device ... More...
(08-01-2025 - MI)United States of America v. Benjamin Gregory Shirley
Grand Rapids, Michigan criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with Assault of a Postal Employee Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Assault of a Postal Employee Benj... More...
(07-30-2025 - MI)United States of America v. Marlon Darrell White
Grand Rapids, Michigan criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with transportation of firearms by felon. A grand jury charged Marlon White with possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon. See 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). White moved to dismiss the indictment, claiming that § 922(g)(1) violated the Second Amendment as applied to him. The district court denied his ... More...
(07-25-2025 - MI)Dawn Hayes v. Clariant Plastics & Coatings USA, Inc.
Grand Rapids, Michigan employment law lawyer represented the Plaintiff who sued on a job discrimination theory. After 25 years of employment at Plastics & Coatings USA, Inc. it fired Dawn Hayes from her job as a warehouse logistics clerk. The company claims that she was laid off as part of a workforce reduction program; Hayes argues that she was terminated because of her gender and age. H... More...
(07-25-2025 - MI)