Daily Briefs

Ex-Monroe judge gets year in prison in violent sex case


MONROE, Mich. (AP) — A former judge accused of paying women for violent sex has been sentenced to at least one year in prison, far less than what prosecutors had sought.
Jarold Calkins was a District Court judge in Monroe County at the time. He was initially charged with prostitution crimes, but the charges were replaced by misconduct in office charges. The four young women wanted to remain anonymous.

The attorney general’s office asked for a minimum of three to four years in prison Thursday. But Judge Archie Brown settled on a year, which means Calkins will be eligible for parole after 12 months.

Calkins told the judge he was in a “dark place” when the events occurred. Statements written by victims were read in court. One woman said she felt like Calkins’ “personal sex slave.” Evidence shows he choked them and beat them with whips.

 

Boy could avoid prison in sister’s accidental fatal shooting
 

MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) — A 16-year-old boy could avoid a lengthy prison sentence for the accidental fatal shooting of his 14-year-old sister at their home in western Michigan.

The teen was charged as an adult in juvenile court following the Aug. 20 shooting in Muskegon Heights. The Muskegon Chronicle reports, however, that Muskegon County Probate Court Judge Kathy Hoogstra sentenced him Wednesday as a juvenile to at least a year in a residential treatment facility.

The teen in October pleaded no contest to second-degree murder. If he successfully completes probation, he’ll avoid a 13-year prison sentence and the charge would be reduced to manslaughter.

Police say the boy was playing with a handgun when it discharged, shooting his sister in the back. The Associated Press isn’t naming the girl to avoid identifying her brother.

 

Murder charges dropped against 2 men in boyhood memory case
 

DETROIT (AP) — Prosecutors are dropping murder charges against two Detroit men who were granted a new trial based on the boyhood memory of a man who witnessed his mother’s slaying in 1999.

Justly Johnson and Kendrick Scott have been in prison or jail for nearly 20 years. The Wayne County prosecutor’s office said Wednesday it’s dropping the case, four months after the Michigan Supreme Court said the men deserved another trial.

Lisa Kindred was shot in a van on Mother’s Day in 1999. Her son, Charmous Skinner Jr., was 8 years old and also in the vehicle. His recollection of the shooter is different than the evidence offered at trial. Skinner was never interviewed by police.

Scott described his release as “awesome.” He says it’s a “tragedy” that the men were locked up for so long.

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