Two criminal cases involving CMU students in court this week
On-campus drowning, rape case on trial court calendar
Former Student Government Association President Ian Elliott, 25, pleads no contest to a reduced charge of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct Jan. 17 at Isabella County Trial Court.
Two Central Michigan University students – one former and one current – will appear in Isabella County Trial Court this week for separate criminal cases.
Ian Elliott, the former president of CMU Student Government Association, will appear in court Friday to receive a new jail sentence amidst recent revelations in a drawn-out sexual assault case. Elliott's re-sentencing will take place at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 7 in Court Room 4 before Judge Eric Janes.
Elliott, 25, pleaded no contest to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct Jan. 17 after he withdrew a previous no contest plea to a third-degree criminal sexual conduct charge. The plea deal was made in agreement with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel after the lead prosecutor in the case against Elliott, former Assistant Attorney General Brian Kolodziej, admitted to an inappropriate relationship with one of the victims in the case.
Elliott will likely be sentenced to serve four months in Isabella County Jail in addition to his time already served. He also agreed to serve five years probation and complete alcohol and sex offender counseling.
Central Michigan University student Grace Hunt appears before a judge and is formally presented with the two felony charges by the state Jan. 28 at Isabella Trial Court.
Grace Hunt, 22, will appear in court twice in the next week for hearings related to the drowning of her 14-month-old daughter. She will attend a probable cause conference at 8:15 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, and a preliminary exam at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 13. Both hearings will be before Judge Sara Spencer-Noggle.
The 14-month-old child, who was not identified by the court, drowned in a bathtub Sept. 13, 2019, in Kewadin Village Apartments, an on-campus apartment complex for CMU students. The toddler had reportedly been found underwater in a bathtub and was not breathing.
Hunt, who is currently enrolled as a CMU student, was arraigned Jan. 28 on charges of involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse. The maximum penalty for involuntary manslaughter, a felony, is 15 years in prison and/or a $7,500 fine. Second-degree child abuse is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Follow along with Central Michigan Life this week for coverage of all three court appearances.
