LANSING - Attorney General Mike Cox today announced the expansion of a special task force combating domestic violence and criminal sexual conduct in fifteen Northern Michigan counties.  Partnering with the Michigan Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment Board (MDVPTB), Cox secured a two-year federal grant to continue funding three special prosecutors while adding a fourth prosecutor and expanding the program to include criminal sexual conduct (CSC) prosecutions and training programs. 

"Domestic violence and criminal sexual conduct affect victims like few other crimes," said Cox.  "With this continued focus, we will help victims find justice and send a message to others that violence will not be tolerated in our communities."

Cox created the special unit in January 2004 to exclusively assist county prosecutors in prosecuting domestic violence cases.  Since that time, three Special Assistant Attorneys General (SAAGs) have worked in nine counties prosecuting 4,322 domestic violence cases, resulting in more than 3,908 convictions.  The grant announced today ensures that the project will continue until September 30, 2011 and expands the unit's focus to allow the special prosecutors to tackle CSC cases.  It also adds a fourth special prosecutor to focus exclusively on CSC cases in six previously unserved counties, including: Lake, Manistee, Mason, Osceola, Wexford and an additional county to be named later.

The unit consists of the following Special Assistant Attorneys General:

•              SAAG Kerry Zahnder, serving Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Emmet counties.

•              SAAG Erin House, serving Antrim, Benzie and Leelanau counties.

•              SAAG James Deamud, serving Ogemaw, Otsego and Roscommon counties.

•              SAAG Mike Stein, serving Lake, Manistee, Mason, Osceola, Wexford counties and an additional  county to be named later.

"Wexford County is grateful to Mike Cox and the Attorney General's office for their help with this initiative," said Wexford County Prosecutor Mark Smathers.  "This is a win-win situation for women, for crime victims, for Wexford residents and even for the county pocketbook."

"The Task Force makes our local tax dollars go farther," said Mason County Prosecutor Paul Spaniola.  "This cooperative program enables us to focus our resources on additional prosecutions with the knowledge that violence against women will be vigorously prosecuted."

"As economic conditions continue to increase the likelihood of domestic violence, so to does the economy create difficulty for county prosecutors to garner local funding to respond to the increased caseload," added Roscommon Prosecutor Mark Jernigan.  "With the assistance of the Attorney General's office we are better prepared to respond to the needs of victims of this terrible crime."

"I would also like to thank the following Prosecuting Attorneys for joining with my office in order to fight sexual assault and domestic violence: Charles Koop, Antrim County; John Daugherty, Benzie County; John Jarema, Charlevoix County; Daryl Vizina, Cheboygan County; James Linderman, Emmett County; Michael Riley, Lake County; Joseph Hubbell, Leelanau County; Ford Stone, Manistee County; Paul Spaniola, Mason County; LaDonna Schultz, Ogemaw County; James Sims II, Osceola County; Kyle Legel, Otsego County; Mark Jernigan, Roscommon County; and Mark Smathers, Wexford County," concluded Cox. 

If you are a victim or know someone who is a victim of domestic violence, help is available.  Call your local police, the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE.

This project was supported by Grant No. 2009-WE-AX-0041 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice.  The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.

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