3 days ago
Ionia judge dismisses remaining charges against former officers charged in prison beating
LANSING — A judge has dismissed all remaining charges against four former Michigan corrections officers charged in the 2024 beating of an inmate at Ionia's Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility, at the request of the county prosecutor.
Judge Raymond Voet of 64-A District Court in Ionia dismissed misdemeanor aggravated assault charges against the four men June 5, records show.
Ionia County Prosecutor Kyle Butler requested the dismissals after Voet on May 23 dismissed felony charges of misconduct in office against Ray Thomas Rubley, 33; Andrew Ray Carr, 39; Al-Ani Mustafa, 44, and Jordan Thomas Csernyik, 23, following a daylong preliminary hearing.
Butler told the Free Press in March that the beating left inmate John Paul Callaghan, 27, with a broken back, a broken hand, and broken facial bones.
The officers reacted immediately after Callaghan assaulted Csernyik by striking him with a tray of food, the prosecution and defense agreed. Court records show Callaghan was sentenced to another 18 months to five years in prison in December, on top of the time he was already serving, after pleading guilty to assaulting Csernyik that same day.
At the preliminary hearing, Butler argued that the former officers completely ignored their training in their response to Callaghan's actions, but Voet ruled that would not amount to the corrupt intent required for convictions.
Butler said in a June 10 email to the Free Press that Voet indicated that if the same evidence was presented at an assault trial as was presented at the preliminary hearing on the felony charges, that Voet would grant a directed verdict of not guilty.
Butler said that because he did intend to present the same evidence, he decided to ask that the charges be dismissed.
Jeffrey Foldie, a Bay City attorney representing Carr and Csernyik, said in a June 10 email that the union representing the officers has filed grievances objecting to their recent firings and will continue to pursue those.
Foldie said in March that the beating, which included punches, knee strikes, and deployment of a Taser, lasted less than 30 seconds. Callaghan was preventing handcuffs from being applied and the officers responded according to their training, he said.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ionia judge dismisses assault charges against former prison officers
