Few accusations carry the same social stigma, professional fallout, and legal jeopardy as a sex-crime charge. A single complaint of a criminal offense in Chesterfield Township can trigger an immediate police investigation, protective orders, and 24-hour news coverage that hurts your reputation long before a trial date is set. The State of Michigan prosecutes sex offenses aggressively, and Macomb County judges routinely impose harsh sentences that come with lengthy incarceration and lifetime sex-offender registration. Our Chesterfield Township sex crimes attorneys stand between you and those consequences, leveraging decades of statewide experience and a deep understanding of local court procedures to safeguard your liberty, livelihood, and future.
In Michigan, sex-crimes charges are usually premises on criminal sexual conduct (CSC) or related conduct. The precise charge the prosecutor brings determines both the sentencing exposure and registration requirements:
The prosecution may also stack other criminal charges, such as using a computer to commit a crime, felony firearm, or aggravated stalking, to compound sentencing exposure. Understanding every statutory element of these charges is essential because the prosecution must prove each beyond a reasonable doubt. Exposing a single weakness can collapse the entire case.
Criminal complaints originating in Chesterfield Township begin in the 42 2 District Court in New Baltimore for warrant review, arraignment, and (if the charge is a felony) preliminary examination. Felony cases that are “bound over” proceed to the Macomb County Circuit Court in Mount Clemens for pre-trial motions, jury selection, trial, and sentencing.
Our attorneys appear every week in both courts, giving us first-name familiarity with the clerks, probation officers, and judges whose decisions control bond terms, evidentiary rulings, and sentencing options. That local insight often makes the difference between a pre-trial release and being in custody, the suppression or admission of critical evidence, and even whether you get put on probation or sent to prison.
In sex-crime cases, the investigation phase is as crucial as the courtroom battle. Police detectives typically conduct “soft interviews,” issue search-warrant subpoenas to social media and other companies, and rely on Child Protective Services or forensic-interview specialists before seeking an arrest warrant. The moment you learn you are a target—whether through a knock on the door, a phone call, or a friend’s warning—retain counsel. Early intervention enables us to:
Do not speak to police or hand over electronic devices before you consult a lawyer. Even the most well-intentioned explanations frequently become the backbone of the prosecution’s case.
Comprehensive Fact Investigation. Grabel & Associates deploys licensed private investigators, certified digital forensics examiners, retired state troopers, and former FBI experts to deconstruct law enforcement’s narrative. We recreate message threads, metadata trails, and cell-tower pings that reveal whether images were ever opened, how they reached a device, and who physically possessed a phone or laptop.
Forensic Science and Medical Evidence. Most sex-crime prosecutions hinge on DNA swabs, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) reports, or toxicology screens. We scrutinize chain-of-custody logs, reagent lot numbers, and lab accreditation files to expose contamination or analytical shortcuts. Our medical experts regularly testify to alternative explanations for physical findings, including consensual activity, pre-existing injuries, or the innocent transfer of biological material.
Constitutional Motions. Suppose police seize electronic data without a valid and sufficiently particularized warrant. In that case, we can move to suppress that evidence based on the Michigan Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in People v. Hughes and the case law that followed. When investigators violate your Miranda rights during an interrogation, we can seek the exclusion of any recorded or written statements. A successful motion may cripple the prosecution’s proof or provide leverage for a non-registering misdemeanor resolution.
Narrative and Credibility Analysis. Jurors decide sex-crime cases primarily based on credibility. We marshal school records, social media posts, financial motives, medical histories, and prior inconsistent statements to demonstrate bias, fabrication, or mistaken identification. Psychological experts may testify about suggestive interview techniques used with minors, memory contamination, or mental health conditions that affect perception.
Sentencing Mitigation. Even when a conviction seems likely, we can still shape the outcome. Detailed sentencing memoranda include polygraph results, psychosexual-risk assessments, acceptance into inpatient treatment, and community-support letters. These tools persuade judges to depart downward from Michigan Sentencing Guidelines, to impose probation under Holmes Youthful Trainee Act (HYTA), or to turn to delayed-judgment statutes that avoid permanent registration.
Michigan’s Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) divides offenses into three tiers, each carrying lifetime or multi-year registration periods, in-person verification, and residential and workplace exclusion zones. Convictions for first-degree or second-degree CSC, child pornography, and accosting a minor generally mandate lifetime Tier III registration. Grabel & Associates explores every statutory exception, constitutional challenge, and legislative update—including the most recent 2021 amendments limiting retroactive application—to eliminate or shorten registration whenever possible. After a conviction, we can also petition for relief from registration under MCL 28.728c for qualified clients.
Modern sex-crime prosecutions revolve around electronic data more than eyewitnesses. Prosecutors subpoena Apple, Google, Facebook, and smaller messaging apps for the following:
Our defense consultants mirror-image hard drives, analyze EXIF data, and spot Photoshop splices or deep-fake artifacts that indicate fabrication. We also press the court to consider whether the defendant had exclusive access to the device or cloud account—an essential but often overlooked element of “knowing possession” for most sex crimes.
When a child accuser is involved, testimony usually comes through a recorded “forensic interview” at a Child Advocacy Center rather than live police questioning. We meticulously review interviewer credentials and question phrasing, and study body-language cues for suggestiveness. Our cross-examination at a preliminary examination or a hearing under the Michigan Supreme Court’s decision in People v. Fultz can demonstrate to the judge that self-coached answers or parental influence undermine a child witness’s reliability.
Not every sex-crime allegation ends in a guilty or not-guilty outcome. Depending on the strength of a case and the client’s objectives, we can work to secure the following:
When the prosecution refuses to negotiate a fair result, Grabel & Associates is prepared to go to trial with a professional but aggressive approach that commands courtroom respect. We conduct exhaustive voir dire to uncover juror biases, use visual-presentation software to demonstrate inconsistent statements, and develop expert testimony that dismantles the prosecution’s forensic narrative. Finally, our closing arguments are uniquely designed to weave those threads into a singular, compelling story: reasonable doubt.
A sex-crime conviction, or even a charge, can jeopardize far more than your freedom:
We strategize to avoid these outcomes wherever possible by negotiating plea language that avoids statutory triggers, coordinating specific defenses, and filing set-aside petitions when our clients are eligible.
Q: “Is consent a defense if I thought the other person was older than 16?”
Michigan recognizes an honest-and-reasonable-mistake-of-age defense only in limited circumstances. For third-degree CSC involving a victim who is either 16 or 17 years old, the prosecution must prove the defendant’s knowledge of the age, and a good-faith belief can create reasonable doubt. For victims younger than 16, however, strict liability applies. In other words, it does not matter whether you thought the person was younger than 16.
Q: “Can the police force me to give up my phone passcode?”
Under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, compelling disclosure of a memorized passcode can violate the privilege against self-incrimination. Courts are not necessarily in agreement on this issue. Nevertheless, we are prepared to litigate that issue to protect your right to remain silent while arranging alternative compliance, such as phone imaging through a neutral examiner, when strategically in your best interests.
Q: “How long will my case take?”
Simple misdemeanor fourth-degree CSC cases may resolve in three to four months. Felony cases involving digital forensics often span nine months to a year. Regardless of the charges against you, we push for a speedy trial whenever it helps with your defense.
Q: “Will the media release my name?”
Michigan law does not seal sex-crime dockets. However, pre-charge intervention and quick action to challenge probable cause can prevent formal filing and, as a result, public exposure.
If you or a loved one faces a sex crime investigation or charge in Chesterfield Township, you need to act now, not soon. Evidence degrades, memories fade, and the prosecution cements its theory. Put Grabel & Associates on your side immediately.
Call us 24/7 at (800) 342-7896 or submit a confidential online form for a free, no-obligation consultation. Let our experience, expertise, and relentless commitment to our clients protect the life you have built.