A 22-year-old White Lake Township man was arraigned last week on eight counts, ranging from home invasion to felonious assault, all resulting from incidents on Eastlawn Avenue on Jan. 8 and 9.
Michael James Esson, 22, was in custody in the Oakland County Jail after 52-2 District Judge Kelley Kostin set bond at $750,000 at the Jan. 11 arraignment. Details on a subsequent court date were not immediately available.
Esson’s threats of physical violence to a former girlfriend, up to and including murder, included multiple telephone calls and went so far as to include statements recorded on an Oakland County Sheriff patrol car video camera after his arrest.
‘I think he’s a real danger to society,? sheriff Detective Jerry DeRosia said.
Charges include home invasion I (a 20-year felony), aggravated stalking (a five-year felony), felonious assault (a four-year felony), domestic violence-third offense (a two-year felony) and misdemeanor charges of cutting telephone lines, malicious use of telephone communication services and breaking and entering.
DeRosia said the county probation department will likely file additional charges, since Esson had gained early release from prison in December after a previous conviction for felonious assault.
Deputies were first called to an address on Eastlawn Avenue on Jan. 8, when the victim said Esson threw a telephone at her during an argument.
Deputies returned around 1 a.m. on Jan. 9, after the suspect allegedly called to tell the woman he was on his way over to the home with a gun to kill her, reports said.
While deputies were at the woman’s home, the suspect called again. Without identifying himself, a deputy answered the phone and arranged a meeting with the suspect. Patrol units stopped a vehicle in which Esson was a passenger and took him into custody.
Reports said Esson continued to make threats against the woman after his arrest. In one instance, Esson was in the rear seat of a patrol car with the deputy’s video camera pointed at him.