Sheriff's deputy found not guilty on 3 charges stemming from March domestic dispute
A jury found Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Deputy Charles Ball not guilty Thursday on three criminal charges related to a March 2 arrest in Van Buren Township.
Maria Miller, spokeswoman for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, said the jury found Ball not guilty of felonious assault, a felony firearm charge and a domestic violence charge. Ball had been arrested during an alleged domestic dispute at his home in the 46000 block of Village Green Lane.
Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton told AnnArbor.com Ball was placed on unpaid leave following the March incident. Clayton was not immediately available for comment on Ball’s status Friday morning.
Ball, 46, has been in law enforcement for more than 27 years, holding various positions in the sheriff’s office, such as detective and school liaison officer.
Investigators with the Van Buren Township Department of Public Safety alleged Ball had a gun in his possession during a domestic dispute on March 2 at the home. No one was injured in the incident and Ball was the only person arrested, according to police. More details on the incident were not released.
AnnArbor.com could not reach Ball for comment Friday morning. Sheriff’s Office spokesman Derrick Jackson did not immediately return a message seeking an update on Ball’s status and the sheriff’s office investigation into the incident.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
observer
Sat, Jun 23, 2012 : 10:09 a.m.
justice for all, even for cops.......
Diane
Sat, Jun 23, 2012 : 3:28 p.m.
Yeah, they are human you know.
RJA
Sat, Jun 23, 2012 : 1:59 a.m.
Sounds good to me. put him back on duty!
Matt Cooper
Sat, Jun 23, 2012 : 1:41 a.m.
LOL "not guilty"..."innocent"...? Either way it comes out the same: A jury of his peers, charged with hearing testimony and examining evidence, found there was not enough to sustain a guilty verdict. Which means he doesn't go to prison, and in the eyes of the law, he is innocent of all charges. Be careful about presuming guilt, as 1. None of you were on the jury, and 2. It is a violation of A2.com's policy.
OLDTIMER3
Sat, Jun 23, 2012 : 12:11 p.m.
I wonder how many court trials Honest Abe has listened to ? I think the jury is instructed to find the defendant Guilty or NOT GUILTY not Guilty or INNOCENT. I know that is how we were instructed when I was on a couple juries. If we felt he/she was innocent we were instructed to vote not guilty.
Superior Twp voter
Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 5:33 p.m.
I know this Deputy. I know him well. While obviously -something- happened, I am glad to learn of the outcome of this. I now wonder if Sheriff Clayton will back off on the "unpaid leave" decision. After all, Inkster District Court Judge Sylvia James has been suspended WITH PAY for over fourteen (14) months now (umm, I think District Court Judges are paid some $105,000 + per year) and found guilty of financial improprieties.... Just my .02 cents.
snapshot
Sun, Jun 24, 2012 : 4:22 a.m.
My frame of reference is the whole system is rife with corruption. law enforcement protect their own and do so at taxpayer expense.
Observant
Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 9:42 p.m.
Voter: Please connect the dots. Judge James' suspension is in what manner equivalent or comparable to Dep. Ball? Just wondering what your frame of reference might be.
Honest Abe
Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 4:10 p.m.
Not guilty does not mean innocent.
Honest Abe
Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 6:45 p.m.
Hmm. You "know this deputy" and you know "obviously something happened". You are biased from the get go. Yes, he was found not guilty. But as I originally said - Not guilty does not mean INNOCENT. Period.
Honest Abe
Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 6:39 p.m.
I have yet to ever hear a verdict come back as "We the jury, find the defendant INNOCENT of all charges".
Honest Abe
Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 6:38 p.m.
Not guilty means not enough evidence for conviction. That is ALL it means. OJ Simpson was found 'not guilty', so there is a good example. Also, Statistics show a high amount of domestic violence amongst law enforcement officers who are married. I presume what happened was the police showed up at Charles Ball's house, and arrested one of their own for the heck of it? Yeah...right!
Superior Twp voter
Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 5:28 p.m.
What does it mean then, Abe?