An incident occurred recently when a van with two females arrived at a man’s home in Hartford Township, west of Kalamazoo. The man claims that one of the females invited him out in the woods. When he declined, a man allegedly jumped out of the van and hit him in the head with a pipe. The suspects fled the scene after another person came out of the home.

A neighbor claims that he was a victim of armed robbery and was assaulted that night by the same suspects. When the van arrived at his home, he asked the occupants if they could drive him to the get some cigarettes. The van took the man to a gas station. After leaving the gas station, the van went to a rural area, where the man claims he was choked and struck from behind. He also had his wallet stolen before he was kicked out of the van and left on the roadside. The victim suffered minor injuries to his throat and jaw.

Police sought search warrants for a number of residences in connection with the investigation, and claim to have found the pipe used in the first incident at one of the residences. This alleged armed robbery has led to four arrests in Hartford Township, with the charges including felony crimes. One of the suspects was a juvenile who was on probation; she faces possible drug charges.

Those who are accused of felony crimes in Michigan such as armed robbery face serious legal consequences, especially if they have previously been convicted of a felony. However, there are many factors in a case that can force prosecutors to reduce charges to drop them entirely, including the possibility of false allegations, illegal search and seizure, mitigating circumstances and violation of rights. It is therefore important to remember that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Source: WOOD-TV News, “4 arrested for assaults, robbery,” August 3, 2012