Manslaughter charges in the deaths of three L’Anse Creuse teens await pleas By Erin McClary NEW BALTIMORE — The three men being held responsible for a car accident that claimed the lives of three Chesterfield teens will wait another two months before answering to the charges. Macomb County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Bill Cataldo said that should be enough time for his team and defense attorneys to further review the accident reconstruction, photographs and autopsy reports. “We’re a little short of all discoveries,” he said. Cataldo said the request for more time will allow investigators to take a better look at the wreckage site, as the Chesterfield Police Department has agreed to shut down Gratiot Avenue between 24 Mile and 25 Mile, where the accident occurred, for a more thorough analysis. “We both want to see the scene uncluttered by traffic,” he added. Judge Paul Cassidy agreed to the attorneys’ time-extension request during a preliminary examination June 12 in New Baltimore’s 42-2 District Court. The new exam date was rescheduled for Aug. 5 at 8:30 a.m. After a month-long initial investigation of the crash, charges were set against the defendants. James LaCoursiere, 17, and Stephen Davis, 22, were arraigned May 7 and charged with three counts of vehicular manslaughter each, a felony carrying up to 15 years of jail time, for the deaths of Robert “Bobby” McGuire, 17; Jordan Vandeputte, 17; and Nicholas Nobel, 17. Sgt. Deron Myers of the Chesterfield Police Detective’s Bureau said the manslaughter charges were appropriate for the circumstances of the accident. “The elements of the crime are met,” he said. “(Prosecutors) find the appropriate charge based on the facts that were presented.” Davis is also facing a fourth charge for improper possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle, which carries a 90-day misdemeanor sentence. Myers said the weapons charge had no bearing on the accident and was issued as a result of how a handgun was being transported in Davis’ car, not as a result of it being a threat to other drivers. A third suspect, 17-year-old David Doyle, will face one count of reckless driving, a 93-day misdemeanor, alongside LaCoursiere and Davis Aug. 5 for what police are calling a fatal result of negligent horseplay. Around 2 p.m. April 8, McGuire, Vandeputte and Nobel were passengers in LaCoursiere’s Dodge pickup, traveling southbound on Gratiot Avenue between 24 Mile and 25 Mile, when they allegedly attempted to pass Davis’ red sedan. Chesterfield Police Department’s Detective Sgt. Brad Kersten said it appeared that both vehicles lost control and the pickup collided with the front end of a New Haven Schools’ bus, which was not carrying any students at the time of the accident. McGuire and Vandeputte died at the scene and Nobel was transported to Mount Clemens General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 7 p.m. that evening. LaCoursiere and the bus driver were also transported to the hospital and treated for injuries. Doyle and Davis are Clinton Township residents and LaCoursiere lives in Chesterfield. The three drivers didn’t know one another before the incident; however, LaCoursiere and his three passengers were good friends and fellow L’Anse Creuse Public Schools students. The four were returning from a career and technical education class in Richmond when their drive was cut short. On June 12, LaCoursiere sat quietly in a wheelchair in Cassidy’s courtroom; his right leg reclined in a metal leg rest, still wrapped in a cast. A slew of teens and family members sat on either side of him. LaCoursiere’s attorney Dan Garon did not say much during the hearing, but agreed to the request for more time before Cassidy. The Aug. 5 preliminary examination will resume in 42-2 District Court in New Baltimore. You can reach Staff Writer Erin McClary at emcclary@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1118. |
