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County jail is the appropriate place for Ethan Crumbley, an Oakland Cirtcuit Court judge rules Tuesday, rejecting a defense request to move the 15-year-old accused Oxford High schooter back to juvenile detention.
"Justice is best-served" by keeping him in the Oakland County Jail to await trial on 24 felony charges that could bring up to life in prison, says Judge Kwame Rowe. The teen is charged with the deaths of four schoolmates and with injuring a teacher and six students Nov. 30 with a handgun his parents bought four days earlier.
Court-appointed attorney Paulette Loftin of Rochester will raise an insanity defense on Crumbley's behalf, she says in an earlier court motion. Loftin will work with Amy Hopp of the Michigan State Appellate Defender Office.
The county prosecutor's office said at a hearing last week that Crumbley should stay in the more secure Pontiac adult jail, where he's isolated from adults and sees a counselor daily. He'd be a potential "menace" to juveniles at the Children’s Village facility in Pontiac and an escape risk, authorities said.
A major part of the prosecutors' argument centered around possible risks if Crumbley is around children, considering the charges against him involve high schoolers.
A different judge denied a request to move the Oxford teen in December.
