HILLSDALE – A Hillsdale man arrested Jan. 9 at the scene of an armed arson attack has appeared in the 1st Judicial Circuit Court Monday for sentencing after being convicted by a jury this summer of two counts of resisting/obstructing a police officer.
On July 12, the jury found Richard Vernon Kelley, 41, not guilty of second-degree arson, carrying a weapon with unlawful intent, possession of a weapon while intoxicated and arson of personal property less than $1,000 while sentencing him on both counts. resistance to arrest.
With advisory sentencing guidelines set at 0-17 months, Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jamie Wisniewski asked the court to apply a consecutive sentence to the case.
“This situation could have gone very, very wrong,” Wisniewski said.
Kelley argued that while the initial contact with police could be considered confrontational, he eventually opened a door on his property and was unarmed when he was finally arrested.
His arrest stemmed from a fire incident involving a gunman on January 9 at 3000 Squawfield Rd. in Jefferson Township where he resides.
The strange incident was first reported after 9 p.m. on Jan. 9, when the Jefferson Township Fire Department was dispatched to a fully engulfed camper fire at the intersection with Grass Lake Road, about three miles east of M-99 (Pioneer Road).
When the firefighters arrived on the scene, an urgent request was sent for the police to respond to the location for an unruly man who was acting strange.
When police arrived, troopers observed the man acting strangely and carrying a firearm.
He reportedly kept going in and out of a nearby house making threats to kill soldiers and acting strangely.
Kelley eventually surrendered peacefully to police and was taken into custody.
“I feel that some of my rights as a property owner have been violated,” Kelley argued Monday.
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Kelley’s attorney, Elias Muawad, argued that Kelley was undergoing emotional distress on Jan. 9, the anniversary of her daughter’s death, and that she had been undergoing mental health treatment at LifeWays Community Mental Health from his arrest.
“All the components were there for it to have been much, much worse,” Lisznyai said.
In imposing the sentence, Lisznyai placed Kelley on probation for two years and ordered more jail time and $1,026 in fines and costs.
– Contact Reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, first Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.
This article appeared in the Hillsdale Daily News: Hillsdale man charged in armed standoff sentenced