Former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore pleads no contest to 2 misdemeanors, felony dropped
Sherrone Moore pleads no contest to 2 misdemeanors, has other charges dropped
Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore agrees to a plea deal Friday with the court.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore appeared in court Friday for a review of evidence after he was arrested and charged for allegedly breaking into his ex-girlfriend's home.
Moore's defense team agreed to a plea deal for two new misdemeanors in exchange for the dismissal of three other charges including a felony.
Moore has pleaded no contest to two new counts including malicious use of a telecommunications device in a domestic relationship, and to a charge of trespass, both misdemeanors.
Malicious use of a telecommunications device carries a jail sentence of up to six months and a fine of up to $1,000. Trespass carries a sentence of up to 30 days and a fine of up to $250.
He will be sentenced on April 14th. The judge declined to approve the removal of his GPS tether.
"The basis for the no contest plea is civil liability - civil litigation," his attorney said.
No contest pleas are treated by the court the same as a guilty plea when it comes to sentencing.
Attorney Gerry Mason said he doesn't think that Moore will be going to prison, but that the reputational damage remains.
"He's already lost millions of dollars," Mason said. "We talked about that this is a case that was ripe for settlement. Some kind of misdemeanor and maybe even a deferred sentence, which is what he is seeking. Something that allows him to seek and gain meaningful employment - it looks like that's exactly how this matter unfolded."
Attorney explains what Sherrone Moore plea deals mean
Attorney Gerry Mason reviews the Sherrone Moore no contest pleas to two misdemeanors.
Mason elaborated further on what helped lead to the no contest agreement.
"(There is) a mental health referral on the part of Sherrone Moore, some ongoing discovery and evidentiary issues, and finally the actual challenge to the warrant. The court expressed concern over certain omissions, in the warrant, that kind of squeezed (them) into a position with this settlement today."
Ann Arbor judge Cedric Simpson ordered the hearing to take a deeper look at evidence after noting that Moore's relationship with the former girlfriend, who worked for the Michigan football program, was omitted by the prosecution during a previous hearing.
Mason said he understood why the GPS tether will remain on for Moore, in Judge Cedric Simpson's opinion.
"There is a distinction there, the defense attorney says ‘My client has just been proven not guilty of stalking,’ no not necessarily," he said. "They just reached a compromise after speaking with the complaining witness, they came up with a plea resolution that didn't involve stalking and didn't involve breaking and entering.
"The court still has concerns because of the inflammatory nature of the case and how the case started. Frankly that is in Sherrone Moore's interest."
The backstory:
Moore, 39, was fired by athletic director Warde Manuel in December after the school said it found that he had engaged in "an inappropriate relationship with a staff member." He was arrested later that day after allegedly breaking into that staffer's apartment and threatening to kill himself in front of her.
According to the prosecution during his arraignment, Moore, who is married, allegedly had an affair for years with a staff member. When that person broke off the relationship on Dec. 8, Moore allegedly texted and called her repeatedly, leading to her reporting what happened to the university.
Once Moore learned of his termination, he allegedly went to her Pittsfield Township apartment, broke in, grabbed several butter knives and kitchen scissors before threatening to harm himself.
According to prosecutor Kati Rezmierski, he allegedly told his ex-girlfriend, "I'm going to kill myself. I'm going to make you watch. My blood is on your hands."
When she told him she was going to call the police, he left.
Moore was arraigned a few days later and charged with third-degree home invasion, stalking, and breaking and entering. He was released from the Washtenaw County Jail after posting a $25,000 bond.
Mason said he does not see Moore going to jail and that he foresees the mental health component being emphasized.
"The court is going to have the ability to read the evaluation, he could order counseling, he could order community service," he said. "I think he's going to get counseling, he's going to get a deferred sentence, and very likely not going to do any incarceration."
Push to dismiss charges:
Moore’s attorney, Ellen Michaels, has said the warrant obtained was based upon false, incomplete, and/or misleading statements given to the magistrate by police.
Much of this is about the attorney for the ex-girlfriend calling police, not the ex herself.
Moore’s team honed in on 12 unanswered calls and text messages between the former couple saying, legally, stalking is not stalking if the communication has a legitimate purpose.
Moore’s attorney claims those communications were work-related because they took place during work hours and the assistant worked for Moore.
"It's clearly and unequivocally that the relationship between the parties in a stalking allegation matters," Michaels previously said in court. "It's not stalking If communication has a legitimate purpose."
However, the prosecution says the ex-girlfriend and assistant presented sufficient evidence for the charges to stick, including what they call direct and credible details to police allowing for probable cause to be established and for an arrest warrant to be issued.
The Source: Previous reporting was used.