Man who hit girlfriend in Harrison Twp. gets a second chance

A Harrison Township man must undergo extensive mental health treatment to get a substantial break from his criminal case, agreed to by his girlfriend, whom he was accused of assaulting and imprisoning.

Danzelle Williams, 24, recently received a deferred sentence in Macomb County Circuit Court for his April 30 attack on his girlfriend in a vehicle at a mobile home in Harrison Township, slamming her head into the interior windows of her Cadillac Escalade during a escalated verbal attack. dispute.

At his sentencing on October 23, Judge Julie Gatti finalized her plea deal in which a charge of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, a 10-year felony, will be reduced to a one-year assault charge and a The second assault case will remain if he completes probation conditions, which include a 26-week assault intervention course and an impulse control course, at a hearing in September 2025.

Charges of unlawful imprisonment, tampering with evidence and possession of firearms will be dismissed under the deal.

The victim, Williams’ girlfriend, agreed to the deal and wanted Judge Gatti to lift the no-contact order between them, Macomb Assistant Prosecutor Maria Panchenko said.

“Who are we to stand in the way of love?” Gatti said, but told Williams, “You have a woman who has stood by you through all of this. I hope it’s for the right reasons and not that you’ve exhausted her to the point where she can’t make her own decisions.”

The couple plans to live together again, Williams told Gatti.

She warned Williams to comply with the conditions and not engage in abusive, threatening or intimidating behavior or he could lose the deal and have the original charges reinstated.

Gatti called the beating incident “terrifying.” The woman was treated at McLaren Macomb Hospital in Mount Clemens for injuries to her spinal cord, neck and chest, she noted.

“It’s up to you over the next eleven months to prove yourself to your partner, but also to this court, the prosecutor, the (defense) attorney and the probation officer,” Gatti told Williams. “I’m counting on you to do what you have to do.”

Williams, who has lived in northern Michigan, told Gatti in a soft voice that he was “really looking forward” to completing the courses and “getting back to my family.” He has children. It is unclear whether the victim is the mother of his children.

“He really needs these lessons,” said his attorney, David Worden. “I think it will be good for him and the complaining witness.”

During Williams’ plea hearing on September 17, Gatti ordered that Williams’ 23-hour lock-down of the jail and the ban on his use of electronic communications be lifted. Five weeks later she heard the verdict that they had not yet been lifted.

Williams was released following his conviction after serving approximately six months in prison.

Originally published: November 1, 2024 at 9:26 AM EDT

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