Detroit, MI

Detroit judge’s decisions probed by prosecutor, worrying he ‘made up some law’

Published

1 month ago

February 3, 2026

Detroit judge’s decisions probed by prosecutor, worrying he ‘made up some law’

Detroit — Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy launched an investigation into the docket of 36th District Judge Ronald Giles in October, directing her staff to review cases the judge had dismissed, along with instances in which he acted outside the law or “made up some law,” according to two emails obtained by The Detroit News.

“I want to see every, single Judge Giles dismissal going back (to) January of this year sent to me as soon as possible,” Worthy wrote in an Oct. 6 officewide message.

Worthy sent a follow-up directive on Oct. 8: “Thank you for the huge response concerning Judge Giles’ cases. Please send cases also where he did not follow the law or made up some ‘law.’”

“Please continue to document and send,” the second memo instructed. “If any dismissal memos need to be updated, please do so now. Any case — ‘big’ or ‘small’ — because, obviously, all of our cases are extremely important to our victims and survivors.”

It’s unclear how long the review into Giles’ cases lasted, or whether it’s still ongoing. When asked about the memo, Worthy replied in a statement: “It is an internal email that was not meant for public consumption to address a serious issue. I will have no public comment.”

Giles didn’t respond to a phone call request for comment, and Chief 36th District Judge William McConnico did not return a text message and phone call seeking comment.

The state court administrator said it’s within Worthy’s authority to review a judge’s record.

“The Prosecutor, like all court users, can request file information as a part of their preparation and/or review process,” State Court Administrator Tom Boyd said in an email. “We have no information that suggests this activity is inconsistent with such objectives.”

Andre Ash, the victim in a case handled by Giles, said he wasn’t surprised to learn of the Worthy investigation.

Ash said a Wayne County assistant prosecutor warned him that Giles had a propensity for “excusing a lot of cases” when the 61-year-old Detroit resident prepared to face his alleged attacker during court proceedings in October and November.

Latest court case controversy

Ash said he had just finished his security rounds at the Regency Tower apartments on Chene on Detroit’s east side on Oct. 23 when a man attempted to enter the building without authorization.

The man, 44-year-old Marcus Shamily, became irate when questioned and produced a knife, Ash said.

“I told him, ‘This isn’t going to go how you think it’s going to go with that knife,” said Ash, a lifelong Detroiter who said he has had martial arts training and has fended off knife attacks before.

The two men clashed, and Ash said Shamily got on top of him. During the struggle, Ash was stabbed several times in the hand, although he said he wrestled away the knife and cut his alleged attacker multiple times.

“When the police showed up, they saw all that blood — it was his blood,” said Ash of the alleged attack that was captured on surveillance video.

Shamily was charged with assault with intent to murder, which carries up to life in prison; assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, punishable by up to 10 years in prison; and felonious assault, which carries up to four years in prison.

During Shamily’s Nov. 14 preliminary examination in 36th District Court, Giles dismissed the most serious charge and bound the defendant over for trial on the other two allegations.

Shamily’s attorney, Rene Cooper, didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Ash said he was surprised by the judge’s treatment of him during his testimony.

“I wasn’t prepared for what he said to me when we first went to court,” Ash said of Giles. “He acted like I was lying; I felt like he was blaming me.”

Ash said he was “shocked” to learn that Giles dismissed the assault with intent to murder charge against Shamily.

“If you look at the video, I don’t see how you can see it any other way — (Shamily) tried to kill me,” Ash said.

In 2017, Shamily pleaded guilty to domestic violence, third offense, and was sentenced to probation. He violated the terms of his probation in 2018, court records show, but his probation was continued, ending in September 2020.

In Shamily’s latest court case, a Feb. 6 final conference hearing is scheduled before Wayne County Circuit Judge Shannon Walker.

Ash said he’s still hoping for justice, but he remains unhappy about how Giles handled his case.

“To me, it’s shocking that this judge still has a job,” Ash said.

The prosecutor’s office is appealing the ruling to dismiss the assault with intent to murder charge, arguing the judge abused his discretion, Assistant Prosecutor Maria Miller said. The motion will be argued before Judge Walker on Friday, Miller said.

Dismissals panned

Worthy has criticized other judges for dismissing cases.

In December, after Wayne Circuit Judge Cylenthia LaToye Miller dismissed felony murder and first-degree murder charges against defendant Charles Evans, Worthy said the judge should’ve recused herself. The defendant’s attorney worked for the Perkins Law Group, which represented Miller when she was charged with bringing a loaded, unregistered pistol through a security checkpoint at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.

“Based on this obvious conflict of interest (unknown to the assistant prosecutor at the outset of the trial), Judge Miller should have recused herself from the case,” prosecutors said in a December statement. “Judge Miller dismissed the case, erroneously, citing a discovery violation … (the prosecutor’s office contends that there was no violation, and that the judge failed to follow the law.”

In 2022, Worthy told The News she was “disturbed” by unnamed judges’ bond decisions. When former Michigan State University basketball star Mateen Cleaves was charged in 2016 with sexual assault, charges for which he was acquitted, Worthy was critical of how a Genesee County district court handled the case.

Other cases dismissed by Giles in recent years include:

In May, Giles dismissed all charges, including attempted murder, against Robert Pugh, who was accused of shooting an autistic teenager outside his house in April. The judge dismissed the charges after the defendant’s attorney said the alleged video of the shooting did not show her client. Prosecutors replied that the issue should have been discussed at trial.
Giles in 2024 dismissed charges against graffiti artist Bryan Herrin, who was accused of spray painting the silhouette of Beavis from the TV show “Beavis and Butt-Head” throughout Detroit. The judge ruled there was not enough evidence to proceed with the case and dismissed six counts of felony malicious destruction of property, which carries a penalty of four years in prison, against the artist, who is known by the moniker BVIS.
In 2017, following nearly three years of legal proceedings, Giles dropped charges against the “Homrich 9,” a group of activists who blocked trucks from conducting water shutoffs in Detroit. Giles said he dismissed the charges due to the lack of a speedy trial, court records show.
Giles dropped murder charges against Deangelo Dukes, who was accused in the 2019 shooting death of a 62-year-old Arthur Boyle on Detroit’s east side due to “insufficient evidence,” court records show. After dismissing the charges of felony murder, three counts of felony firearm, one count of being a felon in possession of a weapon and one count of first-degree home invasion, Giles bound Dukes over on charges of unlawful driving away of an automobile and intent to pass false title. Dukes was given probation, which he violated in June 2019 — three months after Giles dismissed the most serious charges against him.

History of issues

Worthy’s call for an investigation isn’t the first time the prosecutor has had an issue with Giles, a 36th District Court judge since 2006. After former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was charged in 2008 with perjury, conspiracy, misconduct in office and obstruction of justice, Worthy unsuccessfully sought to have Giles and other 36th District Court judges recuse themselves, arguing the case up to the Michigan Supreme Court.

Worthy argued that Giles and the other judges on the court should be barred from hearing Kilpatrick’s trial because they were too politically connected to Kilpatrick. Giles contributed to Kilpatrick’s election campaign and hosted the mayor as a houseguest at his daughter’s high school graduation party.

But in August 2008, Giles ordered Kilpatrick to spend a night in the Wayne County Jail for violating the travel restriction of his bond by crossing the Detroit River to Windsor without notifying the judge.

“If it was not Kwame Kilpatricksitting in that seat, if it was John Six-Packsitting in the seat, what would I do?” Giles asked the mayor before revoking his bond and sending him to jail — the first time a sitting Detroit mayor had been locked behind bars in his own city.

Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in September 2008, and Wayne County Circuit Judge David Groner sentenced the ex-mayor to four months in jail. Kilpatrick, in 2013, was sentenced to 28 years in prison after he was convicted in federal court of multiple offenses, including conspiracy, extortion and mail fraud. President Donald Trump commuted the sentence in 2021.

ghunter@detroitnews.com

(313) 222-2134

@GeorgeHunter_DN

Staff Writer Craig Mauger contributed.

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Detroit, MI

Rapper Tee Grizzley plans mixed-use apartment project in Brush Park

Published

12 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Rapper Tee Grizzley plans mixed-use apartment project in Brush Park

A new mixed-use, mixed-income apartment building proposed for Detroit’s Brush Park is expected to bring 37 units of housing to the neighborhood, according to the project’s lead developer.

The $12 million project at 205 Watson St., known as Wallace Estates, is owned by Detroit rapper Tee Grizzley, whose legal name is Terry Wallace. The 30,000-square-foot development is expected to go before the Detroit Historic District Commission on Wednesday for review. Because the quarter-acre site sits within a historic district, the commission must approve elements such as windows, brickwork, facade materials and other architectural features.

Wallace Estates is planned to be a five-story building with the residential units across the first four floors. The ground floor is expected to include a lobby, a walk-up apartment, commercial space and tuck-under parking. A partial fifth floor will house indoor and outdoor amenities for residents. The building is designed with a masonry facade and large, offset windows, according to the project application.

“Detroit raised me — I’m a west side kid, and I’m passionate about bringing mixed-income housing to my city,” Wallace said in a statement Thursday. “The 205 Watson project is about building safe, quality housing for everybody; that respects longtime residents and welcomes new neighbors — building opportunity without pushing people out.”

The project was the winning bid of a City of Detroit request for proposals for the site, said Nevan Shokar, principal of Shokar Group and the day-to-day development lead. McIntosh Poris Architects is the designer.

“It’s an infill site that’s bringing high-quality housing, both for affordable and market-rate renters,” Shokar said. “And I think it complements the neighborhood nicely with the brick aesthetic, as well as the brass inlays in the windows.”

Construction could begin this summer and be finished in 18 months, Shokar said, placing completion at late 2027.

Wallace Estates will join a wave of new residential development in Brush Park, a neighborhood that has seen nearly a decade of revitalization. Last summer, Bedrock celebrated the completion of City Modern, a nearly 10-year effort to transform a once-neglected area of the historic district.

Shokar said the building would primarily include studios and one-bedroom units, with a few two-bedroom apartments. About 20% of the units will be designated affordable at 80% of area median income, with the remainder rented at market rates.

“The highest demand that you have within this neighborhood and across the city as a whole, is to produce more studio and one-bedroom units,” Shokar said. “The two-bedroom units sometimes and larger sometimes have a hard time filling up, leasing up within buildings, and that’s why you typically see units generally smaller in size.”

Shokar said estimated rents for the new building could range from $1,800 per month for a 450-square-foot studio to $2,700 per month for an 800-square-foot two-bedroom unit.

Shokar said the team will pursue incentives including a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone tax abatement and a housing tax increment financing package.

cwilliams@detroitnews.com

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Tigers 2026 roster prediction 2.0: Is Kevin McGonigle ready?

Published

24 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Detroit Tigers 2026 roster prediction 2.0: Is Kevin McGonigle ready?

LAKELAND, FL – Opening Day is 21 days away.

The Detroit Tigers are deep into spring training in TigerTown. Pitchers and catchers reported Feb. 11, position players arrived Feb. 15, and the first game took place Feb. 21.

After three weeks of camp, including one and a half weeks of games, leaders have emerged in the battles for roster spots among pitchers and position players – but nothing is guaranteed.

Here’s a look at our second version of how the Tigers should fill their 26-man 2026 Opening Day roster, with exactly three weeks until the first game of the regular season.

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Right elbow arthroscopy in late January has limited Dingler in the early weeks of spring training, but he is expected to be fully healthy by Opening Day as the starting catcher.

The only question is how the Tigers will deploy their two catchers.

It could make sense for backup catcher Jake Rogers to catch left-handers Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez, even though Dingler caught 25 of Skubal’s 31 starts last season. The reasoning is simple: The Tigers will need more offense from their catcher when their other three starters are pitching – and Dingler is the better hitter.

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Torkelson is locked into the Opening Day roster after hitting .240 with 31 home runs in 155 games last season, ranking 14th among 25 first basemen with a .789 OPS.

He has experienced ups and downs in his four-year MLB career, including two demotions to Triple-A Toledo and two seasons with 31 home runs. The next step is becoming an All-Star-caliber player.

This spring, Torkelson is hitting .250 (3-for-12) with four strikeouts in five games. He also went 1-for-2 with one walk (and two hit by pitches) in two games against Team Dominican Republic in a two-game exhibition series.

The Tigers retained Torres when he received and accepted the one-year, $22.03 million qualifying offer. He will be relied upon as the everyday second baseman in the lineup and a reliable on-base presence near the top of the batting order.

In 2025, Torres hit .256 with 16 home runs, 85 walks and 101 strikeouts across 145 games.

This spring, Torres is hitting .286 (4-for-14) with one walk and three strikeouts in five games. He left the Tigers to represent Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, which runs from March 5-17.

McGonigle hasn’t played above Double-A Erie, but his performance against Team Dominican Republic in the first game of the exhibition series showed why he belongs on the Opening Day roster.

The 21-year-old shortstop hit a first-pitch 98.1 mph fastball from right-hander Luis Severino for a leadoff home run in the first inning, pulling it 461 feet to right field with a 110.4 mph exit velocity – making noise in a new environment at the electric Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo. After the homer, he added a two-run single, five-pitch walk and leadoff single to finish his four plate appearances.

McGonigle has passed every on-field test in camp.

He also looks comfortable around big leaguers behind the scenes.

This spring, McGonigle is hitting .400 (6-for-15) with two walks and four strikeouts across seven games. He also went 3-for-5 with two walks and two strikeouts in two games against Team Dominican Republic.

The Tigers are prepared for Keith to serve as the primary third baseman.

In 2024-25, Keith hit .237 with a .660 OPS during the months of March/April and May, then improved to .269 with a .744 OPS during the months of June, July, August and September/October.

If Keith starts slowly again, utility player Zach McKinstry could handle third base until he heats up. McGonigle could also slide over to third while McKinstry handles shortstop.

This spring, Keith is hitting .154 (2-for-13) with two walks and seven strikeouts across six games. He also went 3-for-6 with one strikeout in two games against Team Dominican Republic.

If McGonigle secures an Opening Day spot, the Tigers will need to cut one of four outfielders: Vierling, Wenceel Pérez, Jahmai Jones or Parker Meadows.

Among them, Vierling has performed the best in spring training (with a track record of success when healthy), Pérez provides value off the bench as the only switch-hitter (with experience at all three outfield positions) and Jones is the top option against left-handed pitchers (without any minor-league options remaining).

That leaves Meadows on the outside looking in.

Last season, Meadows hit .215 in 58 games while posting minus-1 defensive runs saved over more than 450 innings in center field. This spring, he is hitting .059 (1-for-17) with one walk and five strikeouts in six games. He also went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts against Team Panama in an exhibition game.

The Tigers plan to use Greene at designated hitter more often after just 21 starts there last season. As a result, Carpenter has spent more time in left field this spring, in addition to his primary position in right field.

Even so, Carpenter should still receive most of the starts at designated hitter. Injuries have limited him from completing a full season during his four-year MLB career, and the designated hitter role helps keep his bat in the lineup while reducing wear and tear on his body.

This spring, Carpenter is hitting .235 (4-for-17) with six strikeouts in six games, making three starts in right field, two in left field and one at designated hitter. He also went 1-for-3 with one home run against Team Panama, starting in left field.

If McGonigle starts at shortstop, Meadows gets demoted to Triple-A Toledo and Báez takes over in center field, the Tigers would have McKinstry, Pérez and Jones as their three position players on the bench, not including Rogers as the backup catcher.

Who is next in line?

McKinstry and Rogers should be secure, but Pérez and Jones could find themselves on the hot seat if they struggle early in the season because neither has an established track record of success.

Pérez could be replaced by Trei Cruz, a switch-hitter who plays center field and shortstop, offering more defensive versatility than anyone else in the organization. Jones could be replaced by Hao-Yu Lee, a right-handed-hitting infielder who crushes left-handed pitchers, balancing the roster with above-average defense at second and third base.

Both Cruz and Lee joined the Tigers’ 40-man roster in mid-November, protecting them from the Rule 5 draft.

This spring, Cruz is hitting .308 (4-for-13) with three walks and one strikeout in seven games. He also went 0-for-3 with one strikeout against Team Panama, starting at shortstop.

The Big Five is locked in.

The Tigers bolstered their rotation by signing Valdez and Verlander in the 10 days leading up to spring training, helping offset the loss of right-hander Reese Olson to season-ending shoulder surgery. Right-hander Troy Melton could also miss significant time after being shut down from throwing with right elbow inflammation.

Moving from Olson to Verlander is a downgrade, but the Tigers still boast the best one-two punch in baseball with Skubal and Valdez at the top of the rotation. If another injury occurs, right-hander Drew Anderson is expected to shift from the bullpen into the rotation.

Five relievers are locked in with Jansen, Finnegan, Vest, Holton and Anderson, leaving three openings.

The Tigers already thinned the competition by optioning right-handers Keider Montero, Ty Madden and Dylan Smith to Triple-A Toledo, with Montero and Madden providing starting depth. The Tigers also lost right-handed reliever Beau Brieske to right ribcage tightness this spring, though the severity of the injury remains unknown.

Both Hurter and Hanifee have been key bullpen pieces in the past, making them top candidates for two of the three openings. But Hanifee has a notable flaw: He has thrived against right-handed hitters as a ground-ball specialist with his sinker-slider approach, but left-handers have hit .307 with an .857 OPS.

If the Tigers carry three left-handed relievers, Sommers could have the inside track on the final spot in the bullpen, especially with Bailey Horn still rehabbing from left elbow arthroscopy.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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Detroit, MI

Report: Lions tender K Jake Bates ERFA offer

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Report: Lions tender K Jake Bates ERFA offer

The Detroit Lions are starting to take care of their own ahead of free agency, and it begins with one of the easier decisions to make. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Lions have tendered kicker Jake Bates an exclusive rights free agent offer. What that means is Bates now has a one-year contract offer at the minimum salary ($1,075,000 for Bates). He can choose to sign it or sit out the season.

The reason the Lions can offer this ERFA tender is because Bates’ contract is expiring after just two accrued seasons in the NFL. All players with fewer than three years of experience who are on expiring contracts could be offered these ERFA tenders. In fact, the Lions did so with three other ERFAs earlier this offseason, all of whom already signed the deals: OL Michael Niese, RB Jacob Saylors, and CB Nick Whiteside.

Bates is coming off a season where he took a step back after an outstanding 2024. After making 89.7% of his field goals in his first year with the Lions, Bates slid back to just 79.4% accuracy. That said, five of his seven misses all season were from 50+ yards, and he was a perfect 14-of-14 from 39 yards or shorter. Additionally, he increased his extra point accuracy from 95.5% to 96.4%. He also steadily improved at the new NFL kickoff, which requires a lot more precision from kickers to boot the ball as close to the goal line without going into the end zone.

It’s unclear if the Lions intend on bringing in competition for Bates this offseason, but special teams coordinator Dave Fipp made it abundantly clear all last season that they value Bates, despite some struggles in 2025.

“Clearly, we have a very, very good player,” Fipp said in December. “If you put him on the streets, there would be a bunch of teams claiming him right away. And the truth is, we’d have a really hard time finding a guy even near the same player as him.”

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