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Is Ypsi Twp. Targeting a “Black-Owned Business,” or Protecting the Township From a Dangerous Public Nuisance?
by P.D. Lesko
At the Aug. 24 hearing on the matter of Ypsilanti Twp. vs. Ardis Lewis, Jr., Men Like Us and Lily Investments, Inc. before the Honorable Timothy P. Connors in the Washtenaw County Trial Court, the podium was crowded. The…
Leader of Non-Profit Cited as a Public Nuisance Says Ypsi Twp. Trustees Are “Missing the Good”
by P.D. Lesko
Men Like Us was created as a non-profit in 2021. Since leasing space in a building at 3011 E. Michigan Ave. in Ypsilanti Twp., Ardis Lewis Jr.'s "men's club" has been the subject of over 30 police reports. The police…
Ypsi Twp. Court Filing Asks Trial Court to Padlock Local Non-Profit, Site of Repeated Shootings
by P.D. Lesko
On July 28, 2023, Ypsilanti Twp. officials filed a "PETITION TO DECLARE COMMERCIAL PROPERTY A PUBLIC NUISANCE, FOR ISSUANCE OF AN ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE, PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION, PERMANENT RESTRAINING ORDER AND OTHER EQUITABLE…
Trump Indicted in Connection With Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol
by Jennifer Schutt
A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted Donald Trump on Aug. 1 for his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to the indictment filed in U.S. District Court for the District…
County Chief Asst. Prosecutor Now Owes $5,000 in Late Campaign Finance Fees
by P. D. Lesko
According to the Wayne County Clerk and campaign finance records, Washtenaw County Chief Asst. Prosecutor Victoria Burton-Harris is on her way to being referred for prosecution by the Michigan Attorney General. Under AG…
Murder Up 300 Percent, Attempted Murder Up 89 Percent in Washtenaw County Since 2021
by P.D. Lesko
According to Washtenaw County Trial Court records, between June 19, 2020 and July 19, 2021, five people in Washtenaw County were arrested and charged with murder, including Open Murder, Felony Murder and 2nd Degree Murder.…
Crime Report: Over Last 30 Days, in Ypsi and Ypsi Twp. 498 Crimes Reported, Including Six Murders
Editor: With this column, The Ann Arbor Independent launches Crime Reports for Washtenaw County cities and townships. The weekly Crime Report will also include Trial Court prosecutions of Capital Felonies charged by the County Prosecutor,…
County Prosecutor Criticized Sheriff Candidate’s Ethics and “Disservice to Victims”
by P.D. Lesko
In July 2022, Derrick Jackson celebrated the County Commissioners' award of $1.2 million in public money to non-profit Supreme Felons, Inc. According to documents, emails and text messages shared with A2Indy, the…
Sheriff and Ypsi PD Partially Responsible For Recent Double Homicide, Critics Claim
by P.D. Lesko
Court records show that in Mar. 2023, 14A District Court Magistrate Elisha V. Fink issued a bench warrant for Tamar L.L. Young. Young had been charged with a felony weapons crime in Aug. 2022. On June 29, 2023, 19-year-old…
Contrary to His Own Rhetoric, County Prosecutor Charges Sixteen-Year-Old Accused of Murder as an Adult
Updated 7/1/23: The name of the alleged shooter was added.
by P.D. Lesko
County Prosecutor Eli Savit has charged 16-year-old Kendall Newbern with open murder in connection with the death of an 18-year-old man on June 21. When…