36th District Court sanctions jurors who failed to appear
The 36th District Court announced this week that 152 individuals who were summoned for jury duty, at least twice, and failed to appear will be scheduled for a Show Cause Hearing to explain why he/she should not be held in contempt of court. These individuals may be held in contempt of court, fined or incarcerated. The Show Cause Hearings are scheduled Wednesday, November 9, 2016 and Thursday, November 10, 2016.
Chief Judge Nancy M. Blount stated, “The U.S. Constitution guarantees all people, regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin, or economic status, the right to trial by an impartial jury. Jury duty is an important civic responsibility that should not be taken lightly, and those citizens not responding to this essential obligation could face serious consequences.”
The court is providing one final opportunity to fulfill their obligation and cancel the contempt of court proceedings by summoning these individuals for jury duty before Nov. 9. The only way to avoid the Show Cause Hearing and sanctions is to appear for jury duty, as ordered.
Failure to appear for jury duty before Nov. 9 and failure to appear for the Show Cause Hearing may result in a warrant for arrest.
Man in prison for life in 1995 slaying gets shorter sentence
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A man who was sentenced to life in prison without parole in a 1995 slaying that took place when he was 16 has been given a shorter sentence.
Kent County Circuit Court Judge Paul Sullivan told 37-year-old Juan Cantu that: "A 16-year-old would know, I believe, how very, very wrong the things that you and your co-defendant did that day were."
The Grand Rapids Press reports Cantu apologized.
Cantu was recommended for re-sentencing after the U.S. Supreme Court determined mandatory no-parole sentences are a cruel and unusual punishment for minors.
Forsyth recommended Cantu for a shortened sentence only because he didn't actually kill Holland resident Daniel VanTatenhove. Cantu also is serving 50 to 80 years for kidnapping, which exceeds the maximum 40- to 60-year sentence he received Wednesday.
Man gets 40-80 years for attack on EMTs, teen’s 2006 slaying
DETROIT (AP) — A man who admitted to killing a 16-year-old girl in 2006, sexually assaulting a woman in 2005 and slashing and stabbing two Detroit emergency medical technicians last year has been sentenced to 40 to 80 years in prison.
Michael Montgomery was sentenced on Thursday. He earlier pleaded guilty to charges including second-degree murder in the 2006 slaying, first-degree criminal sexual conduct in the 2005 assault and assault with intent to maim in the midnight attack last October on EMTs Kelly Adams and Alfredo Rojas.
Police were looking for Montgomery that day after DNA linked him to Dantoya White’s slaying.
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