Judge Courtright

Judge Courtright was appointed by Governor Englor in 2000, and was reelected by the voters of the City of Allen Park and the City of Melvindale in 2008.

Judge Courtright is a compassionate judge that is willing to give defendants a fair shake when it comes to their defense. Judge Courtright takes into consideration a defense attorney’s allocution on behalf of a Defendant when passing judgment.

Judge Courtright can be a bit unpredictable with sentencing and often times can appear to be very harsh, but he is willing to listen and with a strong allocution his mind can be changed from jail to probation.

Judge Page

The voters of the City of Allen Park and the City of Melvindale elected Judge Page in 2004.

Judge Page has a reputation for being a fair judge. Judge Page allows criminal defense attorneys to present their case in a fair and neutral manner. If the prosecutor has pushed you into a corner and you feel a trial is necessary Judge Page is a fair judge to have. Judge Page sentencing is reasonable, he takes what defense attorney’s allocutions into account when passing judgment.

Judge page is probably one of my favorite judge’s to appear in front of. He sticks to the law, and is truly a neutral unbiased judge.

The procedure for a misdemeanor criminal charge at the 24th District Court is as follows:

Arraignment at the 24th District Court

This is the first time you will appear in the court and come in front of a judge or a magistrate. At arraignment you will formally be told what criminal offense you are being accused of and what the maximum possible penalty is that you are facing. The judge is not asking if you agree with it or not, just simply if you understand it or not.

In almost all misdemeanor cases the 24th District Court will allow your lawyer to waive your arraignment and jump ahead to the pre trial. There are strategic reasons why you may or may not want to do waive your arraignment.

The judge will also address bond at this stage. Bond is a promise to return to court and may require you to pay money to the court along with other conditions such as random alcohol or drug testing.

Pre Trial at the 24th District Court

After your arraignment you will get a date to come back to the court. The next stage is the pre trial. At the pre trial your lawyer will speak with the prosecuting attorney, that is the attorney who is trying to convict you of a crime and see what can be worked out. If the parties cannot agree on anything then the case may be set for a motion, evidentry hearing, or trial.

Motions and Evidentiary Hearings

These hearings do not occur in every criminal case. They challenge legal issues like probable cause and reasonable suspicion but do not challenge facts. Facts, for the most part, can only be challenged at a trial.

Most motions are the 24th District Court are set as evidentiary hearings in criminal matters. This means that the arresting officer, or witnesses for the prosecution will have to appear and testify. You can think of it as a mini trial.

Trial at the 24th District Court

There are two types of trials, a bench trial where the judge will decide the facts of the case as well as the law, or a jury trial where the jurors will decide the facts and the judge will decide the law. If you are found guilty you will proceed to sentencing, if you are found not guilty then you are free to go. Most criminal charges are resolved without trial.

Sentencing at the 24th District Court

If you lose at trial, or if your lawyer works out a plea for you where you get some kind of deal then your next hearing will be the sentencing. Sentencing can be as simple as paying a small fine, or it can be the other end of the spectrum where you have to serve jail time.

In some cases you may be able to have your sentencing hearing the same day as your pre trial if your attorney has worked out a plea for you. This is very convenient for people who cannot miss additional time off work or live away from the court’s jurisdiction.

The prosecutor is the attorney that represents the city or state government and is against you. At the 24th District Court, Allen Park and Melvindale each have their own prosecutor. One year misdemeanor’s and felonies are handled by the State of Michigan’s Prosecutor’s Office.

Prosecutors work closely with police departments and their goal is to enforce the law. You should never talk with the prosecutor without your lawyer present. Any admission you make will be used against you.

Prosecutor for the City of Allen Park

Pentiuk Couvreur and Kobiljak PC – 42915 Biddle Ave., Ste 200, Wyandotte, MI 48192

Prosecutor for the City of Melvindale

Lawrence J. Coogan – 4146 Oakwood Blvd, Melvindale, MI 48122

Prosecutor for the State of Michigan

Wayne County Prosecutor, Kym L. Worthy 1441 Saint Antoine Street Frank Murphy Hall of Justice Detroit, mI 48226

Some of Boria’s notable victories at the Allen Park District Court include the following:

Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor – Not Guilty

Our client was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor after he left a baby on the median of Outer Drive in Melvindale. He was arrested after he set his child down to run after his girlfriend who was upset and running into traffic. After the jury heard the facts and Boria argued he was doing the best he could do in an emergency situation he was found not guilty.

Armed Robbery – Life Offense – Dismissed

Our client was charged with the life offense of armed robbery after her and some friends took some clothes from the shopping area known as The Hill in Allen Park. On the way out of the store a security officer grabbed her and she reached in her purse for a gun. She ran out of the store and on the way home was stopped by the police and arrested. Later, it turned out she never had a gun and from the evidence it was clear that not even the loss prevention officer believed she had one. After intense negotiations, the felony was dismissed and she was given a fine for shoplifting.

Vicious Animal – Dismissed

In this case our client was charged with vicious animal after police responded to his home over an argument between he and his wife. When the police responded the dog, a pit bull, came running out of the house and according to the officer, lunged at him. The dog was shot and killed and our client was charged with the criminal offense of having a vicious animal. Boria took the case to trial and before the jury was chosen the prosecutor dismissed the case.

Assault – Dismissed

A fight at a local bar in Melvindale left two people beat up and bloody. The police showed up and were quick to make arrests without getting all the facts. When we showed up to the pre trial the prosecutor’s witness was weak. After further negotiations the prosecutor dismissed the assault charges.

Embezzlement over $100,000 – Dismissed

Our client was charged as part of a criminal ring to create faulty gift cards at Meijer. Our client and two others were charged with stealing over one hundred thousand dollars. After an intense preliminary examination and multiple trips to court the prosecutor and judge agreed to seal our clients record without entering a conviction and give him probation. Our client did not serve a single day in jail.

Domestic Violence – Dismissed

Multiple clients