Man arraigned after elderly woman carjacked

STERLING HEIGHTS — A man accused of carjacking a Jeep from an octogenarian in Sterling Heights could face life imprisonment if found guilty, according to county law enforcement.

According to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, a carjacking allegedly happened Nov. 12 at a Walmart parking lot near Mound Road and M-59. Jason Graves, 37, from Eastpointe, is accused of throwing an elderly woman out of her Jeep Grand Cherokee before driving off. Sterling Heights police reported that the woman was 80 years old and that the carjacking inflicted minor injuries upon the victim.

Sterling Heights police said they spotted the Jeep hours later at a Super 8 by Wyndham parking lot near Van Dyke Avenue and 15 Mile Road. At that time police confronted the suspect, and a Sterling Heights officer reportedly fired his gun, though no one was hurt. The county said that officer “feared for his life,” and Sterling Heights police said the Michigan State Police were investigating the incident due to the weapon use.

Although Graves allegedly managed to drive away from police, the ride was short — he reportedly soon crashed into another vehicle by 15 Mile and Van Dyke and was then arrested while uninjured.

According to the MiCOURT online database, Graves was arraigned Nov. 15 before Judge Kimberley Wiegand at the 41-A District Court in Sterling Heights. He was charged with carjacking, third-degree fleeing and eluding, felonious assault, and resisting and obstructing.

According to the county prosecutor’s office, carjacking can carry a penalty of life imprisonment; fleeing and eluding, five years in prison; felonious assault, four years; and resisting, two years.

Graves’ bond was initially set at $20,000 cash/surety, no 10%. But on Nov. 21, Wiegand raised the suspect’s bond to $75,000 cash/surety, no 10%, following the recommendation of Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Kumar Palepu, according to the county. If bond ends up being paid, the defendant is ordered to wear a GPS tether and to not contact the victim.

In a statement, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido called the reported crime “senseless violence.”

“This madness needs to stop,” he added.

Graves’ listed attorney, Joan Ellerbusch Morgan, could not be reached for comment by press time.