Man loses appeal over fee to help crime victims

PONTIAC (AP) -- A man who objected to paying $130 to a crime victim fund has lost his appeal at the Michigan Supreme Court. The fee was $60 was Ronald Earl was charged with robbing a bank and possessing drugs in 2010. But the Legislature had more than doubled it by the time Earl was sentenced in Oakland County in 2011. Earl claimed the higher fee violated his rights under the state and U.S. constitutions. But the Supreme Court last week unanimously ruled against him. The court says the fee is civil in nature and isn't a criminal punishment. The fee is a flat figure and not connected to the facts of a specific case. Published: Mon, Mar 31, 2014