I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
LANSING — Violent sex offenders and those who perpetrate sex crimes against children but fail to register with the state registry should face felony charges, says Rep. Rick Jones, a Republican from Grand Ledge.
And he says he is going to introduce legislation to make that happen.
Jones said the case of Adrian Hill made him “angry,” and drove him to action. He said he is directing his office staff to request a bill to make it a felony for those convicted of violent sex offenses, or of crimes against children, who fail to register.
“I was shocked to learn about this case,” said Jones, a former Eaton County Sheriff. “I became angry, and I decided to request the bill.”
Hill was convicted in 2005 of accosting a minor for immoral purposes, a felony. Lansing Police say he sent pornography to a decoy pretending to be a minor online. He was ordered to register on the sex-offender registry until 2030. Under state law, he was required to register every quarter, but police say he stopped registering in January of 2007.
A misdemeanor warrant was issued by the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office for Hill’s arrest in October of 2009, but police were unable to find him. A Michigan Messenger investigation lead to his arrest on April 7.
Currently, state law allows prosecutors to charge sex offenders with a felony if they have “willfully” violated the registration act. Otherwise, the offender is charged with a misdemeanor for the first two times the registrant fails to register.
Whether to charge an offender with a felony or a misdemeanor is left to the discretion of the prosecuting attorney.
Jones said he expects resistance from Democrats.
“The leadership is apparently more friendly to higher fines and not taking it towards a felony,” said Jones.
He says Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Democratic leaders of the House have made it clear they don’t want any new felony laws, because they want to thin the current prison population.
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