PEOPLE OF MI V JERRY CLAY
Annotate this Case
Download PDF
STATE OF MICHIGAN
COURT OF APPEALS
PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN,
FOR PUBLICATION
August 31, 2001
9:15 a.m.
Plaintiff-Appellee,
v
No. 211768
Kent Circuit Court
LC No. 94-000945-FH
ON REMAND
Updated Copy
November 9, 2001
JERRY CLAY,
Defendant-Appellant.
Before: Hood, P.J., and Holbrook, Jr., and Fitzgerald, JJ.
PER CURIAM.
This case is before us on remand from the Supreme Court. On original submission, over
a dissent by Judge Holbrook, we affirmed the trial court's denial of defendant's motion for relief
from judgment, People v Clay, 239 Mich App 365; 608 NW2d 76 (2000), by concluding that the
Legislature did not intend to require that the prosecution prove that a defendant was "lawfully
imprisoned" when he was charged with assaulting a corrections officer while awaiting
examination. The dissent concluded that this statutory construction was incorrect and that
defendant's arrest was not authorized by law. The Supreme Court granted the defendant leave to
appeal. 463 Mich 906 (2000). The prosecutor agreed with defendant that the majority's
construction of the statute was incorrect. The Supreme Court agreed and remanded the case for a
determination regarding lawful imprisonment. People v Clay, 463 Mich 971 (2001). Accepting
lawful imprisonment as a requirement of the offense, we adopt the reasoning in Judge Holbrook's
dissent that defendant was not lawfully imprisoned. Consequently, we reverse the trial court's
denial of defendant's motion for relief from judgment.
The prosecution argues that defendant's incarceration was lawful because he had
committed the crime of carrying a concealed weapon and there was an outstanding bench
warrant for defendant's arrest when he was stopped. However, there is no evidence that police
were aware of either fact at the time of the stop. The fact that the search of defendant's person
led to evidence is irrelevant. A search, in law, is good or bad at the time of commencement, and
its character does not change on the basis of its success. People v LoCicero (After Remand), 453
-1-
Mich 496, 501; 556 NW2d 498 (1996). The prosecution also argues that defendant essentially
failed to preserve entitlement to relief from judgment. However, this argument is outside the
scope of the Supreme Court's remand. Nonetheless, we have reviewed the issue and conclude
that it is without merit.
Reversed.
/s/ Harold Hood
/s/ Donald E. Holbrook, Jr.
/s/ E. Thomas Fitzgerald
-2-
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.