Ryan Maesen Attorney PLC

09/02/2026

That was crazy. Hearing about it for the first time

Former Michigan Lawyer Gets 18 to 40 Years for Killing Friend After Dog-Ransom Joke

HOUGHTON, Mich. — A former Upper Peninsula attorney will spend at least 18 years in prison for killing a friend in a saloon bathroom — a shooting that reporting on the case links to a joke about holding the lawyer’s dog for ransom. Evan Andrew Dixon, 62, was sentenced Monday, Aug. 31, for the November 2023 killing of Theron Duncan, 53.

Judge Matthew Wiese imposed an 18-to-40-year sentence in Houghton County Circuit Court. Dixon pleaded no contest to second-degree murder in June under an agreement dismissing first-degree murder and felony-fi***rm charges. Prosecutor Dan Helmer said Duncan’s family was consulted about the agreement.

The killing occurred Nov. 13, 2023, inside the men’s restroom at the Douglass House Saloon in downtown Houghton. Prosecutors said the men had been drinking before a disagreement escalated. According to People’s account, Duncan had joked about holding Dixon’s dog for ransom; a bartender later told Dixon that Duncan had been joking.

At sentencing, Dixon spoke emotionally and described Duncan as a friend. “I can’t change what happened,” Dixon said, according to TV6’s courtroom reporting. “I can’t even explain what happened.” He apologized and said he had harbored no ill will toward Duncan.

Duncan’s family described the everyday contact the shooting permanently ended. His mother, Helen Galang, recalled receiving messages from her son on the day he died. His daughter, Chinea, described a loving father and grandfather whose absence would be felt by children who knew him and an unborn grandchild who never would.

Wiese acknowledged Dixon’s remorse but delivered a blunt assessment: “Mr. Duncan should not be dead.” The judge added, “And he’s only dead because you killed him."

Wiese, a Marquette County judge, handled the case after local judges stepped aside because of their professional connections to Dixon.

Dixon received credit for 1,023 days already served and was ordered to pay restitution for Duncan’s funeral and cremation expenses. The sentence closes a prosecution that lasted nearly three years after the fatal shooting.

By: Tom Manke
Sept.1, 2026
Booking Photo

08/26/2026

This guy. He was originally my client and got talked into hiring some one “local”

On Tuesday, July 7, 2026, Defendant, Trent Wesley Creighton, 53, of Clarksville, MI was sentenced to prison by Judge Schafer on the charge of Criminal S*xual Conduct 1st Degree. Although he received the greatest sentence he could pursuant to the Michigan Sentencing Guidelines, it nevertheless falls short of justice for his actions. Had his offense occurred on or after August 28, 2006 then he would have faced a mandatory 25-years in prison as that date is when Michigan law changed to include the mandatory 25-years punishment for conviction of such crime. With that, the Defendant will serve 45 months up to 25 years in prison for this offense. He will have to comply with the S*x Offender Registration Act, lifetime s*x offender registration, lifetime electronic monitoring, no contact with any minors, including anyone victimized by him as identified in the investigation.

08/25/2026

BREAKING - Shiawassee County Spends Thousands Taking Domestic Vehicle Dispute to Trial — Jury Says Not Guilty

Corunna, Mich. — Shiawassee County taxpayers were left footing the bill Tuesday for a criminal trial stemming from what testimony portrayed as a domestic dispute between a couple who had been in a relationship for approximately seven years and shared children.

Shiawassee County Elected Prosecutor Scott Koerner personally prosecuted the case against Tyler Rodney Parker, who was accused of taking his longtime girlfriend’s vehicle without permission. Parker testified that he had driven the vehicle many times during their relationship, including taking their children to school, and that the couple routinely drove each other’s vehicles.

The incident that led to the charge began when Parker drove the woman’s vehicle to his home. She subsequently reported it stolen. When police contacted Parker, he did not deny having the vehicle, according to testimony. He told officers it was sitting in his driveway. Testimony also indicated that the couple continued seeing one another after the police report was filed.

During the Aug. 25 trial, the complaining witness repeatedly testified that she could not remember certain details surrounding the incident. Parker, meanwhile, maintained that after seven years of sharing vehicles, he believed he was permitted to drive the car and said she had not told him before he took it that he could not use it.

Koerner argued a much narrower interpretation to jurors: that past use of another person's vehicle does not automatically establish permission to use it on a particular occasion. His questioning and closing argument focused heavily on whether Parker had been expressly permitted to take the vehicle that day.

That argument raises an interesting question for couples who routinely share vehicles. Does a husband, wife, or longtime partner need to ask for specific permission every single time they drive a vehicle titled in the other person's name? And at what point does a disagreement over use of a commonly shared vehicle become a criminal matter rather than a domestic dispute?

The jury ultimately answered the most important question in Parker's case. After a relatively short deliberation Tuesday, jurors returned a not-guilty verdict.

The verdict also raises a larger question about prosecutorial discretion and the use of limited county resources. Jury trials require a judge, court staff, deputies, jurors, prosecutors, defense counsel, and other personnel. When all of those costs are considered, we have been advised by the court that the costs are close to $15,000 to $20,000 to hold a trial.

Shiawassee County, like counties across Michigan, also handles serious felony cases involving Criminal S*xual Conduct, methamphetamine trafficking, violent crime and other offenses. Prosecutors necessarily have discretion over which cases proceed to trial, but taxpayers are equally entitled to question whether that discretion is being exercised wisely.

No one disputes that a person has legal rights over property titled in their name. But the evidence presented Tuesday involved a seven-year relationship, children, a history of sharing vehicles, a car that was openly parked at Parker's home and a defendant who immediately acknowledged where it was when contacted by police.

A jury heard those facts and found Parker not guilty.

The question Shiawassee County residents may now ask is whether this was really a case that ever needed a jury to answer in the first place.

By: Tom Manke
Aug. 25, 2026
7:15 pm ET
Photo: Video grab of defendant Tyler Rodney Parker and file photo of Shiawassee County's Chief Prosecutor Scott Koerner.

08/25/2026

Of course.

The deputy was hired in August 2022 and fired in November 2023.

08/25/2026

Makes us look weak. What a nothing situation turned into something.

Latest investigation finds recommended changes were not made after two strength and conditioning classes were separated by s*x.

08/25/2026

Insane.

In the same 6-0 vote taken during a packed Aug. 24 meeting, the school board also voted on a two-game suspension for high school football coach Don Fellows.

08/25/2026

This is so awful. Those precious boys

Skelton is charged with three counts each of open murder and tampering with evidence for the disappearance of his three sons Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton.

08/12/2026

The deal is done, but there is more here than is being reported.

Teen Takes Plea in Killing of 73-Year-Old Muskegon Man After Chilling Text: ‘I Watched Him Gasp His Last Breath’

MUSKEGON, MI — A 16-year-old accused of shooting and killing a 73-year-old Muskegon man during a robbery has accepted a plea agreement that calls for him to spend at least 20 years in prison.

Kemaree Davis appeared Monday, Aug. 10, at the Muskegon County Courthouse for a final settlement conference, where he accepted a plea agreement on a charge of second-degree murder in the Dec. 1, 2025, killing of Thomas Lee Stewart Sr. Under the agreement, Davis faces a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The circumstances surrounding Stewart’s death were disturbing, but prosecutors say a message Davis sent afterward offered an especially chilling glimpse into the aftermath. During an earlier court hearing, a detective testified that roughly an hour after Stewart was shot, Davis texted a friend: “The old man is dead. Bro, I watched him gasp his last breath.”

Stewart was found mortally wounded inside his home in the 1400 block of Jiroch Street on the morning of Dec. 1. Police responding around 9:30 a.m. found him suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper body, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators found Stewart’s wallet near his body, and his pockets turned inside out, according to reports on the investigation.
Police said Davis knew Stewart and investigators believed he went into the older man’s home intending to rob him. Muskegon Public Safety Director Tim Kozal said Stewart was known as someone friendly and helpful to people in his neighborhood.

Investigators believed Stewart and Davis were the only two people inside the home when the shooting occurred.

According to testimony about Davis’ interview with investigators, Davis admitted being inside Stewart’s home and said Stewart discovered him there.

Davis told police Stewart gave him $20 before the gun “went off,” fatally striking him. Davis then allegedly admitted taking another $20 from Stewart’s wallet after Stewart had been shot.

The alleged sequence — entering the home to rob a 73-year-old man, taking money after he had been shot and then texting a friend that he watched the dying man “gasp his last breath” — became some of the most significant evidence presented as the murder case proceeded through court.

Davis was arrested Dec. 8 after Muskegon officers located a vehicle near Harvey Street and Marquette Avenue believed connected to Stewart’s homicide. Police said two juveniles ran from the vehicle when officers attempted a traffic stop. Both were eventually captured with assistance from the Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office and Michigan State Police.

The following day, authorities announced the 16-year-old had been charged in Stewart’s homicide.

A second teenager, then 17, was also arrested and initially charged with a fi***rm offense. Surveillance evidence cited in later court proceedings allegedly showed Davis and the other teenager meeting near Muskegon High School on the morning of the killing and walking in the direction of Stewart’s home.

Davis was prosecuted as an adult. His guilty plea to second-degree murder eliminates the need for a murder trial and leaves sentencing as the next major step in the case. If the court follows the plea agreement, Davis will enter prison at age 16 facing at least two decades behind bars for the killing of Thomas Lee Stewart Sr.

By: Tom Manke
Friends Community News Group
Aug 11, 2026

08/11/2026

Very tough situation

Kemaree Davis accepted a plea agreement in connection to the shooting death of 73-year-old Thomas Lee Stewart Sr.

07/29/2026

On the outside, they looked like hey were from central casting for a reality tv show.