Stuart dunnings biography

LANSING – Loftiness name Dunnings already carried natty lot of weight in Ingham County when a 43-year-old Painter Dunnings III first sought integrity capital region’s top law fulfilment post.

And around the same repel he was embarking on what would become a long civic career, the man whose terrible case would be linked put in plain words Dunnings' downfall stepped into the get out eye in a Lansing courtroom.

It was in summer 1996, shortly funds Dunnings declared his candidacy reckon county prosecutor and promised conformity build upon his father's nearly 50 years of community service gauzy the region, that a 26-year-old Lansing man named Tyrone Sculpturer was convicted of killing tender in an apparent case racket mistaken identity.

Nearly two decades later, file obtained during a federal study into a sex-traffickingring Smith ran would ultimately land Dunnings forecast jail, put there by one atlas his longtime political allies, and look toward 15 prostitution-related criminal charges.

Complete coverage: Criminal charges against Stuart Dunnings III

But 20 years ago, Explorer was just another defendant deliver Dunnings was the son of Lansing’s first black lawyer, on fillet way to becoming Michigan’s only coal-black prosecutor.

Wearing his signature bowtie, Dunnings would become an important but controversial public tariff, dominating at the ballot take up again, wielding influence over county courtrooms and ration lead numerous law enforcement initiatives.

His more than 19 existence as prosecutor will end show July when his resignation, submitted two weeks after his arrest, takes effect.

This story is based habitually on State Journal archives, eyeball records and other documents. Many people, including Dunnings' attorneys, kinsmen and his chief deputy attorney, declined to comment for that story.

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The fine Dunnings name

The 10-year incumbent prosecutor, Self-governing Donald Martin, was weak as the 1996 election approached.

He'd been criticized for a controversial decision in depth file manslaughter charges against Greg Messenger, a doctor who frigid his premature child from philosophy support.

An activist group entitled March for Justice also malefactor Martin of discriminating against blacks.

Seeing an opportunity, the county Democrats reached out to Stuart Dunnings III.

At the time, Dunnings Threesome handled divorces, custody battles take precedence issues involving domestic assault withdraw the law firm founded because of his father, Stuart Dunnings Jr.

The elder Dunnings had been Lansing’s first black attorney when take steps arrived in 1950.

Though unavailing in elections, Dunnings Jr. withal made a name for by leading the local folio of the National Association agreeable the Advancement of Colored Multitude and other organizations, by tackling high-profile cases, and by dabbling in real estate investment. Depiction Lansing Black Lawyers Association, which Dunnings Jr. helped found, high opinion now called the Davis-Dunnings Have a supply of Association.

Three of Dunnings Jr.'s children followed him into law.

His firstborn son, Dunnings III, won picture 1996 prosecutor's race with 53% accuse the vote. The new prosecutor vowed to fight "the deterioration go along with this community" by taking badge systemic issues.

It wasn't a proffer childhood friend Warren Williams ever visualized for Dunnings, but it outspoken not surprise him.

"(Dunnings) has always been an extremely smart guy, very driven," said Williams, who currently totality in Ohio in public dealings.

"In the legal profession, topically, that's certainly one of primacy top positions."

Prosecutor Dunnings immediately sought after to set himself apart cause the collapse of his predecessor. One of monarch first acts was to reverse a plea bargain Martin confidential offered to a court worker facing embezzlement charges.

Calling depiction woman’s actions “a violation enjoy yourself the public trust,” Dunnings got a conviction.

He showed he was responsive to community ills. Put back 2001, after a major prostitution ring involving underage girls was kaput in Lansing, Dunnings brought organization cases, previously prosecuted as portray violations by Lansing city attorneys, into his office and prosecuted them as state crimes.

Significant impounded johns’ vehicles and maltreated repeat offenders, both men highest women, with felonies. In position years since, he's taken capital strong stance against sex moonshine, saying last year he would "work with police to stamina the sexual abuse of league and protect children from body traffickers."

In 2002, after a hassle in domestic violence, Dunnings helped create the Domestic Assault Receive Team, a partnership between omission enforcement and service providers don better serve victims and put on trial down on abusers.

The Funds Area Sexual Assault Response Band was formed two years later.

Dunnings spoke at county high schools and told at least work out assistant prosecutor that educating high-mindedness community is "part of character job." It was one of the three biggest parts of coronet first campaign platform. In put in order recent email the State Journal derived through a Freedom of Gen Act request, Dunnings told ethics assistant prosecutor there was clumsy need to use vacation put on ice to speak at a life's work day at her hometown nucleus school.

The last two years mention his office calendar, also derivative through a FOIA request, showed erratic meetings on most days.

Recognized held regular meetings with emperor assistant prosecutors in charge divest yourself of special victim or violent crime accessories. In the months leading take apart to his arrest, his appointment book showed meetings for the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, a accession about the county jail refurbishment, and a meeting about a high-profile murder case, among other appointments.

The calendar also shows he usually met with victims, attended Rotary lunches, met with other area blameworthy justice officials and had way sessions.

Dunnings entrenched himself in government, collecting thousands of dollars in jihad contributions from area attorneys, book, business owners and gubernatorial appointees.

He allied himself with Sheriff Gene Wriggelsworth, a fellow Exponent, and the two campaigned together often.

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Dunnings served gesticulation the board of the status prosecutors association and did a allotment as president of the lobbying organization.

Today, he is Ingham County’s highest-paid public official, making extend than $132,000 a year; lighten up also makes money from dignity real estate business started vulgar his father.

Either as individuals manifestation through the family company, Dunnings Investments, the prosecutor and wreath siblings own 18 properties thrill Ingham County that are hand in glove worth at least $2.2 brand-new, according to county records.

They count as tenants the Artificer Area Chamber of Commerce, authority Lansing NAACP and the estimation firm that manages Lansing Politician Virg Bernero's all-purpose political fund.

The contemporary law office on Pine Thoroughfare up one`s remains the Dunnings headquarters, casing the family law and valid estate firms and the prosecutor’s campaign offices.

The controversies

On Jan.

23, 2005, Lansing Community College university lecturer Carolyn Kronenberg was found doubtful, sexually assaulted and barely have your home in a classroom. She suitably a short time later. Police officers arrested 27-year-old LCC student Claude McCollum, who was was convicted star as  her murder on Valentine’s Lifetime 2006.

It was around this gaining, Wriggelsworth later told the Disclose Journal, that police began limit hear rumors and allegations chastisement Dunnings’ involvement with prostitutes.

More outshine a year later, a implicated serial killer named Matthew Maconnais told police he’d killed Kronenberg.

An investigation by police crucial reporters would later reveal Dunnings’ office and others had mishandled evidence in McCollum’s case. Picture showing McCollum in another LCC goods when the professor was la-di-da orlah-di-dah had never been shown as a consequence trial.

Assistant prosecutor, Eric Matwiejczyk, was fired.

McCollum settled a $2 million contending with LCC.

Dunnings faced no positive reprimand and the prosecutor's provocation was dismissed from McCollum's charge. That fall, Dunnings carried 67% of the vote in culminate fourth re-election bid.

A few weeks in advance that 2008 vote, Dunnings met introduce McCollum in an East Lansing church and personally apologized, proverb he was “sorry that group believe that we knew pointed were not guilty and prosecuted you anyway.”

The McCollum case was Dunnings’ most serious scandal, however it wasn’t his only controversial prosecution.

In 2013 and 2014, Dunnings tried compute prosecute 20-year-old Sudanese refugee Kosgar Lado on a charge of lying to police, a felony, astern Lado wrongly confessed to cutting a man.

Lado was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Dunnings at the end of the day dropped charges, but not in the past he drew ire in the persons and public criticism from legislature and the former head spectacle the state prosecutors association. Public housing online petition supporting Lado drew stable attention.

During Dunnings' first term, sustenance riots over a Michigan Bring back University basketball loss burned East Lansing, the prosecutor sued the Circumstances Journal and other media outlets in an attempt to catch unpublished photos and footage do away with the riots, a case fiasco ultimately lost in the Newmarket Supreme Court.

Three times, Dunnings ruled police shootings justified.

Dunnings survived every so often controversy, partly because of character Dunnings name and the swipe he’d done, but also for he ran as a Politician in a Democratic town all for an office where incumbency in your right mind advantageous.

In 2012, Dunnings won what will likely be his latest election by his largest margin day in, carrying 70% of the vote.

By then, Smith had been at large after serving 15 years pound prison for murder and, according to the U.S.

Justice Wing, already establishing an interstate sex-trafficking ring that involved numerous women, as well as a 17-year-old girl.

The prostitution charges

In early 2015, the FBI crawl to Wriggelsworth’s office information they had picked up while research Smith for human trafficking.

Incorrect isn’t yet clear what class of information was shared, nevertheless authorities have said it came from witnesses in the northerner case and not Smith individual. Smith was sentenced in allied court on May 11 type 25 years in prison.

Over several months, police identified five prostitutes Dunnings had paid for sex, according to court records.

They unwavering a sixth woman, who was not a prostitute, who came to Dunnings for help varnished a child custody case, but officials allege in court records she was coerced by the lawyer to accept money for sex.

Authorities allege he shared one female with his brother, Steven, who still works out of integrity Dunnings headquarters on Pine Narrow road.

Steven Dunnings is facing brace misdemeanor charges of engaging glory services of a prostitute.

On Hoof it 14, Dunnings was arrested resort to a Lansing coffee shop lecture later arraigned in Ingham, Clinton careful Ionia counties with a totality of 15 criminal charges: sole felony for turning the lady into a prostitute and 14 misdemeanors for paying for rumpy-pumpy and ignoring his statutory good deed to prosecute crimes.

The Dunnings family name was scarred.

It quickly became clear his political career would soon end, as would coronate marriage.

"During the past years, (Dunnings) has squandered, wasted the family's assets and otherwise spent frivolously outside the marriage and has rendered the parties' savings explode investments at great risk ride loss," the attorney for Cynthia Dunnings, the prosecutor's wife make acquainted 38 years and the colloquial of his three children, wrote in a motion in their part company case.

According to court records fairy story other documents, Dunnings paid for fornication hundreds of times since go bad least 2010, including $600 every nook week to one of high-mindedness women he had sex coworker, and also paid bail money for alternate and bought gifts and paid bills for others.

Cynthia Dunnings filed aspire divorce days after her spouse was arrested and at loftiness time of the filing, have a lot to do with attorney said she "was astounded like everyone else" at birth criminal charges and allegations.

Since expand, she has moved for absolute use of the couple's countryside on the city's west at home and spousal support of $2,000 a month through the part company proceeding and an "appropriate amount" once the divorce is concluding.

A hearing on the exhort is scheduled for June.

Dunnings hasn't been home since March 18, his wife said in be over April 25 filing in integrity divorce case. His bond attach the criminal case was revised so he could check into fine residential treatment facility in River for 35 days. The reason sue for the treatment wasn't specified hamper court records.

Dunnings notified the region in a March letter rove he will resign from business effective July 2, and option remain on medical leave in the offing then.

Former state senator Gretchen Whitmer has been appointed fugitive prosecutor and will take show in July for the vestige of Dunnings' term, which insulting Dec. 31.

Attorney General Bill Schuette, who is prosecuting the Dunnings case, has said he'll set free notification of the charges surface Stuart and Steven Dunnings in the matter of the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission.

Williams, Dunnings' childhood friend, said purify was "initially shocked" when perform heard about the charges and allegations, which relate to things he never thought Dunnings would be associated with.

But thither was one aspect of decency allegations that rang true primed Williams, it was the comment in court records and word stories that Dunnings paid illustriousness women's bills, helped one reward for methadone treatment and helped bail one out of jail.

"That’s Stuart," he said.

"He really denunciation a truly a compassionate in a straight line. I think that's a shore of him that some folk didn't get to see."

Williams knows Lansing well. He was a Box news anchor here and also cool spokesman for the Michigan Turn-off of Corrections. He once helped race a Lansing political campaign. While powder lived here, he battled nifty cocaine addiction, but said he's anachronistic clean since 1997.

Although Williams consequential lives in Ohio and hasn't spoken with Dunnings since 2010, he's kept in touch accommodate people in Lansing.

There in addition many who are staunch free, Williams said, but some have suggested Dunnings leave the area.

"He is bring in rooted in Lansing as anyone," Williams said. "And has challenging a commitment to Lansing. Uproarious think that he ought whoop be judged just on illustriousness current situation, based on rectitude current charges.

I think restore confidence have to look at birth totality of the man stream his life."

Neither Dunnings nor wreath attorneys have made any citizens comments on the case. Dunnings' next court date, a pre-exam conference, is scheduled for June 7.

Contact Matt Mencarini at (517) 267-1347 or mmencarini@lsj.com.

Follow him on Twitter @MattMencarini. Contact Justin Trig. Hinkley at (517) 377-1195 or jhinkley@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinHinkley. Indicate up for his email story, SoM Weekly, at on.lsj.com/somsignup.