Daily Briefs

Snyder names Gauthier to 53rd Circuit Court


Gov. Rick Snyder on Monday appointed Aaron Gauthier, of Cheboygan, to the 53rd Circuit Court in Cheboygan and Presque Isle Counties.

Gauthier currently works as a commissioner for the Michigan Supreme Court focusing on legal analysis, research, and writing. Previously, he worked as a general practitioner handling civil and criminal litigation, including appeals, and as an assistant prosecutor for Cheboygan County where he litigated felony and misdemeanor cases. Gauthier has also worked as a judicial law clerk at the Court of Appeals and taught an advanced writing course at Cooley Law School. Gauthier earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Notre Dame and a law degree from Cooley Law School.

Gauthier fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Scott Pavlich. He must seek election in November 2020 for a full term.

 

Man gets new sentence with chance at parole in 1986 slaying
 

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — A man who was 16 when he killed a 13-year-old girl in Michigan is getting a new sentence with a chance at parole.

The Ann Arbor News reports 48-year-old Christopher Machacek was resentenced Tuesday to 37-60 years in prison for the Dec. 30, 1986 shooting death of Mary Ann Hulbert in a field in Washtenaw County's Superior Township. She had told Machacek she might be pregnant with his child.

Before the decision by Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Darlene O'Brien, Machacek pleaded for mercy but acknowledged he wasn't sure whether he deserved it.

Prosecutors said Machacek's admission of culpability was self-serving .

Machacek was sentenced in 1988 to life in prison without parole, but the Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that no-parole life sentences for juveniles are cruel and unusual punishment.

 

Company sues 3M over chemicals linked to contaminated water
 

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A western Michigan-based footwear company has sued a chemical manufacturer linked to contaminated water detected at military bases and industrial sites.

Wolverine World Wide filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday against 3M, alleging the Minnesota-based company concealed information about the potential environmental risks of chemicals in Scotchgard and other products. The companies are co-defendants in cases involving perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS.

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