Daily Briefs

State Senate passes bill that would increase juror pay


LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan jurors would get more pay for jury duty under legislation being considered.

The Senate passed legislation on Tuesday that would increase the pay for jurors from $25 to $30 for a full day of service. A half-day payment would also increase from $12.50 to $15. The Senate also increased the traveling expense from 10 cents to 20 cents per mile.

Shelby Township Republican Rep. Pete Lucido is sponsoring the legislation. He says in some cities it can cost $20 to $25 just to park so a juror who is there only half the day already loses $12.50.

The bill passed unanimously and would need House approval before going to Gov. Rick Snyder for his approval to become law.

 

Hemingway named to 8th District Court in Kalamazoo County
 

Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday announced the appointment of Kathleen Hemingway of Portage to the 8th District Court in Kalamazoo County.

“Through her career and community involvement, Kathleen Hemingway has demonstrated a strong commitment to making Kalamazoo County a better place to live and work,” Snyder said. “I am confident she will continue these efforts in her new position.”

Hemingway has been an assistant prosecuting attorney in Kalamazoo County since 2007, where she is assigned cases involving controlled substance and firearms offenses, as well as violent crimes against persons. She is currently the
Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team prosecutor, where she has played a key role in launching the priority offender program, focused on prosecuting the most violent offenders.

Hemingway earned a bachelor’s degree from Hope College in 2002 and her law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2007. She fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Robert Kropf. Hemingway must seek election in
November 2018 for the remainder of the term.

 

Jury acquits man in traffic death of  Michigan state trooper


PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Detroit-area man has been found not guilty in the death of a Michigan State Police trooper who was killed after being struck and dragged several miles by a trailer along a freeway.

An Oakland County jury in Pontiac returned not guilty verdicts Wednesday against 71-year-old Charles Warren Jr. of Waterford.

Warren was charged with two felonies, including reckless driving causing death.

In 2015, Trooper Chad Wolf collided with the trailer near Interstate 75 in Springfield Township. The trailer was being pulled by Warren's vehicle. The trailer's lights weren't on.

Defense attorney Neil Rockind told jurors that Wolf's death was tragic but not a crime. Prosecutor David Hutson said Warren made several bad choices.

The 38-year-old Wolf was born in Geneseo, Illinois, and attended high school in Annawan, Illinois.
 

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