Grant Perry Pleads, Likely Gets Charges Diverted
[Patrick Barron]
Grant Perry didn't make it to his court date, pleading to assault and resisting arrest:
"We tried to cut in line and we got into an argument," Perry told Judge Joyce Draganchuk during Wednesday morning's hearing. "I proceeded to push her out of my way."
Perry, a junior wide receiver from Royal Oak, also said he "tried to wriggle away" from East Lansing police when they arrived on the scene.
The resisting arrest charge is technically a felony—which the LSJ rather misleadingly leads with—but the outcome of the case is going to be standard for a first time offense of this nature:
As part of the plea agreement, Assistant Ingham County Prosecutor Christina Johnson said she is not opposed to a sentencing under the Holmes Youthful Training Act.
If that happens, Perry's conviction could be set aside until as late as his 24th birthday. His record would then be wiped clean if he fulfills requirements imposed by Draganchuk.
He will get some probation that includes a no-alcohol clause and community service. Sexual assault charges and an alcohol charge were dropped.
Jim Harbaugh technically reinstated Perry before this happened; given the timing of the plea it seems clear this was in the works and merely needed some Ts crossed and Is dotted before being announced. Perry has already served a three game suspension because of this incident and given the outcome that's clearly enough. A similar resisting arrest/drunken dumb stuff event for Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield is going to garner him The Dantonio: zero games.
I think his team punishment should be he's not allowed to play special teams anymore. Ok, I'm being selfish there. I just don't want to see him run into kickers anymore.
and he's been trouble free up to this, then this is a good sentence. No need to destroy over this. Do it again and it's a different story.
Crawford is outside. McDoom, Johnson, Schoenle ... those are the guys Perry's competing with in slot, as far as I know. Plus Martin I think is headed there too, but true freshman and all.
Really wish I never commented on this as I don't really know what happenned. I guess from the perspective of the things I have seen in my lifetime this just seemed really minor to me. With that being said I hope Grant is a good person and the charges are a bit inflated. That being said he needs to fulfill his court ordered stuff and move on. I am sure Coach Harbaugh is pretty versed in what went down and will be firm and fair with GP's future punishment if any.
Why would sexual assault charges be made and then "dropped".
It's a serious crime and a very grave allegation, one that people everywhere seem to insist is both underreported and rarely faked, and that victims need special treatment and the benefit of the doubt. But now those charges and dropped and everythings back to normal? No.
Dropping charges makes no sense to me.
Were the charges of sexual assault untrue or falsified? Was there likely a lack of evidence?
Can someone explain this?
There is something very wrong with throwing sexual assault charges at someone only to have the charges dropped like nothing happened, and then....nothing. The accused is supposed to get up and just shake it off. That's fucked up.
I agree. There should be repercussions for making charges that are later found to be clearly false.
IMO, the "sexual assault" charge was bogus, and had nothing to do with any physical contact between Perry and the girl, and everything to do with the fact that this girl was a MSU fan and knew Perry was a Michigan football player and wanted to get him in trouble. I find it extremely hard to believe it coincidence that this happened in East Lansing in a club line full of Sparties. What ulterior motives could possibly be in play, right? Jim Harbaugh is a just man and I trust him to make the right decision, which is not to let this false charge steal more of Perry's career. Perry obviously did the wrong thing running from the cops, and he's paid the price for that. Really unfair to the kid to penalize him any more.
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