Whitmer commutes Saginaw man’s sentence and other Saginaw-area stories from last week

SAGINAW, MI — Here are some headlines from Saginaw County last week that caught readers’ attention:

Whitmer commutes the sentence of a Saginaw man imprisoned for decades for robbing a 7-Eleven

This holiday season, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued several pardons and commutations for those convicted of armed robbery and drug offenses.

One of the beneficiaries is a Saginaw man, now 67, who has been incarcerated for more than 20 years for robbing a 7-Eleven.

Whitmer announced the three pardons and five commutations on Monday, Dec. 23. A pardon pardons a person’s conviction, while a commutation reduces an inmate’s sentence.

“As a former prosecutor, I am focused on protecting public safety, reducing crime and building a stronger and smarter criminal justice system,” Whitmer said. “I am proud of our bipartisan work to help hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents convicted of non-violent, low-level crimes get a second chance and reduce crime statewide. Today, we build on that work by granting leniency to eight Michigan residents who have taken responsibility for their actions. Let’s continue to work together to build a justice system that treats all Michigan residents equally.”

One person receiving a commutation is Darrell Phillips of Saginaw, currently incarcerated at Woodland Center Correctional Facility in Livingston County.

A jury in the fall of 2001 found Phillips guilty of armed robbery and felony firearm charges in connection with a February 3, 2000, crime at the 7-Eleven. A judge in October 2001 sentenced Phillips to 35 to 60 years, plus two years consecutively.

Phillips is suffering from health problems, Whitmer’s office said. His family added that he is in a wheelchair and on dialysis.

Read more here.

Anonymous tip leads to father-of-seven’s ambush arrest outside Saginaw party store

A Saginaw man has been arrested on charges of killing a man in an ambush-style shooting outside an Old Town party store.

Shavar S. Craft Jr., 27, was wanted on a warrant issued June 21 charging him with murder in the death of Da’Quan L. Mims, 25, several days before. Crime Stoppers issued an advisory in September offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to Craft’s arrest.

An anonymous tipster alerted police on Friday, Dec. 20, that Craft was in a unit at Bavarian Village Apartments, 2800 Williamson Road in Bridgeport Township. Saginaw and Bridgeport Township police located Craft at the apartment and arrested him without incident.

“It’s always a good thing when people come out to help us get dangerous people off the street,” said Saginaw Detective Sgt. Oscar Lopez.

After spending the weekend in jail, on the morning of Monday, December 23, Craft appeared before Saginaw County District Judge Elian EH Fichtner on charges of open murder, assault with intent to kill, carrying a weapon dangerous with unlawful intent and three counts of firearms.

Read more here.

Sex offender Merrill who exposed child to HIV charged with downloading child pornography

A Merrill man already required to register as a sex offender for exposing a child to HIV was recently charged in federal court with downloading child pornography on the dark web.

In January, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted the Michigan Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that an individual had transferred several images of child pornography through his Google email address. The user uploaded the images from a digital device to their Google Photos account, a cloud-based storage service that allows users to store and access files from multiple devices.

Read more here.

Saginaw home shooting Christmas morning, leaving one woman injured

Police are investigating a Christmas morning shooting on Saginaw’s East Side.

Officers, around 6 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 25, responded to the scene of a shooting at a home in the 600 block of South 23rd Street.

Unknown persons opened fire on the house, at least one of the bullets hitting a 28-year-old woman inside.

The woman suffered non-life threatening injuries and was treated at a local hospital.

Read more here.

Want more Bay City and Saginaw news? Mark the place Bay City and Saginaw News Page or sign up for “3@3″ daily newsletter for Bay City and Saginaw.