|
|
|
 |
COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
| Contact Information |
 |

Phone:
Toll Free:
FAX:
Victim Advocate: |
231-882-0043
800-404-5977
231-882-0559
231-882-0062 |
|
Personnel |
| |

John B. Daugherty — Prosecutor
Michelle Steffen — Chief Asst. Prosecutor
Jill Tooley — Office Administrator
Bonnie L. Inman — Victim Advocate/
Witness
Coordinator |
|
 |
| Location / Address |
|

Upper Level
Government Center
448 Court Place
Beulah, MI 49617 |
Office Hours |
| |

Monday – Friday
8:00 a.m. to noon
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
|
Services Offered
The Prosecuting Attorney appears for State or County in all criminal prosecutions
in Circuit Court and District Court, as well as appearances in delinquency, neglect,
mental incompetency, and adult guardianship proceedings in both Probate Court and
the Family Division of Circuit Court.
Description
The Benzie County Prosecutor’s Office is committed to serve our community with
excellence, integrity and professionalism and to treat all people with fairness,
honesty and dignity. We continually work to ensure justice in our courts and strive
to make Benzie County a safe place for your family to live, work and grow.
The Prosecuting Attorney is an elected official with a four-year term of office,
as provided by the Michigan Constitution. Elections occur at the time of the Presidential
election, on the partisan ballot. The elected county Prosecuting Attorney is independent
of the Michigan Attorney General.
Prosecuting Attorney Duties
The Prosecuting Attorney's office is responsible for a wide array of legal functions
for the County, including:
- act as the chief law enforcement official in the County.
- review, authorize and prosecute violations of felony and misdemeanor criminal
laws of the State of Michigan and County ordinances committed inside the County.
- authorize and prosecute felony & misdemeanor juvenile delinquency offenses.
- represent the County in criminal matters before the District & Circuit Courts; juvenile delinquency,
parental neglect and miscellaneous probate matters in the Family Court, and appeals in the
Court of Appeals and Michigan Supreme Court.
- advise the Michigan Department
of Human Services on child abuse & neglect petitions,
and actions to terminate parental rights.
- attend contested mental health commitment hearings
- presides at a monthly Concealed Weapon Permit Board, unless he or she opts off
for the remainder of their term. In that case, the county board appoints a certified
firearms instructor to replace the Prosecuting Attorney.
- file and prosecute actions to establish paternity.
- file actions to establish family support orders.
- represent and advise the County Board of Commissioners and other County departments
on legal matters.
District Court—Misdemeanor Cases
Misdemeanor cases are crimes where punishment is incarceration in the county jail
and handled in District Court. These types of cases are large in number and include
assaults (domestic and others), drug use or possession and property crimes.
Circuit Court—Family Division
The Circuit Court—Family Division are those cases where the Prosecuting Attorney
is charged with the responsibility of bringing cases of child neglect or abuse to
the court. In addition, the Prosecuting Attorney handles cases of juvenile delinquency
and involuntary mental admission (in Probate Court).
Circuit Court—Felony Cases
Felony cases require a great deal of time and require several court appearances
such as preliminary examinations in District Court: and if the case is bound over
to Circuit Court, the Prosecuting Attorney is responsible for all proceedings at
that level including pre-trials, motion hearings, pleas, trials and sentencing. All
felony cases have strict time limits both for preliminary examinations (within 14
days) and trials (within 180 days).
Crime Victim Assistance
Most crime victims experience physical suffering, financial loss, and emotional
stress. The Michigan Crime Victims Rights Act mandates comprehensive rights for all
victims. Our Crime Victim Assistance Program provides an extensive notification service
to advise them of court proceedings as their case moves through the court system.
Frequently Asked
Questions
Witness FAQs -- coming soon
Documents
Victim Rights -- coming soon
Witness Information -- coming soon
Related Web Links
Crime
Victim Rights Act
Glossary of Criminal Terms
Michigan Attorney General
Michigan
Constitution
Michigan Department of Human
Services
Victim
Services Directory
| Note:
To view the PDF documents on this page, Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed. If you do not
already have it, you can get it free from Adobe. Once installed, simply
clicking on the link will bring up the document. Note however that the document will
first be transferred to your computer, which can take a while for large documents
and/or if you have a slow connection. |
 |
|