By Ben Solis
Gongwer News Service
The criminal case against Brian Keely, a former Department of State Police trooper who is facing charges for the death of a Kentwood man, has been transferred to federal court.
Keely, who is now retired, is alleged to have killed Samuel Sterling of Kentwood by fatally striking him with a State Police vehicle following a chase. Keely faces one count of second-degree murder, a potential life offense, or alternatively, one count of involuntary manslaughter, a 15-year felony.
A preliminary examination was held before 62-B District Judge Amanda Sterkenburg before the judge decided the Department of Attorney General presented enough evidence to take the case to trial in Kent Circuit Court.
Keely’s defense team, however, had been making motions in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan to have the case removed from the local court’s jurisdiction and have the criminal charges play out in federal court.
His attorneys argued in Michigan v. Keely (USWDM Docket No. 24-00672) that the trooper was assigned to a regional task force created by the U.S. Marshals Service while seeking to apprehend Sterling and was therefore entitled to federal immunity.
The question of Keely’s immunity remains open, but Chief Judge Hala Jarbou of the Western District of Michigan ruled on Monday that Keely’s defense could plead that in federal court.
With that, a criminal docket was opened – Michigan v. Keely (USWDM Docket No. 24-00115) – and the Kent court system was notified by Jarbou that the case should be closed.
The Department of Attorney General, which charged the case against Keely, told Gongwer News Service that it had just received Jarbou’s ruling on Monday and was still reviewing it. The department declined to comment on the case.
State Police Director James Grady said in April that his department was involved in the incident and that Sterling succumbed to injuries after he was struck by a State Police vehicle while troopers and officers from the Grand Rapids, Kentwood and Wyoming police departments chased on foot and by vehicle.
Keely was not wearing a body-worn camera due to his assignment on a federal task force, and the unmarked vehicle he was driving was not equipped with an in-car camera, the department said.
Video evidence does show, however, that the unmarked SUV briefly pinned Sterling to a nearby building and showed Sterling moaning in pain following being struck.
Prior to the release of the footage, the department said Grady met with Sterling’s parents, so they could view the footage privately.
Keely’s name was unannounced when news of the department’s review of the evidence began, with State Police noting that release of his name prior to being charged with a crime was a violation of the Michigan State Police Troopers Association contract.
Gongwer News Service
The criminal case against Brian Keely, a former Department of State Police trooper who is facing charges for the death of a Kentwood man, has been transferred to federal court.
Keely, who is now retired, is alleged to have killed Samuel Sterling of Kentwood by fatally striking him with a State Police vehicle following a chase. Keely faces one count of second-degree murder, a potential life offense, or alternatively, one count of involuntary manslaughter, a 15-year felony.
A preliminary examination was held before 62-B District Judge Amanda Sterkenburg before the judge decided the Department of Attorney General presented enough evidence to take the case to trial in Kent Circuit Court.
Keely’s defense team, however, had been making motions in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan to have the case removed from the local court’s jurisdiction and have the criminal charges play out in federal court.
His attorneys argued in Michigan v. Keely (USWDM Docket No. 24-00672) that the trooper was assigned to a regional task force created by the U.S. Marshals Service while seeking to apprehend Sterling and was therefore entitled to federal immunity.
The question of Keely’s immunity remains open, but Chief Judge Hala Jarbou of the Western District of Michigan ruled on Monday that Keely’s defense could plead that in federal court.
With that, a criminal docket was opened – Michigan v. Keely (USWDM Docket No. 24-00115) – and the Kent court system was notified by Jarbou that the case should be closed.
The Department of Attorney General, which charged the case against Keely, told Gongwer News Service that it had just received Jarbou’s ruling on Monday and was still reviewing it. The department declined to comment on the case.
State Police Director James Grady said in April that his department was involved in the incident and that Sterling succumbed to injuries after he was struck by a State Police vehicle while troopers and officers from the Grand Rapids, Kentwood and Wyoming police departments chased on foot and by vehicle.
Keely was not wearing a body-worn camera due to his assignment on a federal task force, and the unmarked vehicle he was driving was not equipped with an in-car camera, the department said.
Video evidence does show, however, that the unmarked SUV briefly pinned Sterling to a nearby building and showed Sterling moaning in pain following being struck.
Prior to the release of the footage, the department said Grady met with Sterling’s parents, so they could view the footage privately.
Keely’s name was unannounced when news of the department’s review of the evidence began, with State Police noting that release of his name prior to being charged with a crime was a violation of the Michigan State Police Troopers Association contract.
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